Fate and Fantasy
by Aryk von Straln
Summary: Sometimes not even Fate and Destiny are enough to protect a hero from the evil that surrounds him. Sometimes, Fate and Destiny simply need the help of a higher power... Naruto/Hinata/FemHaku. Rated M for safety. On an indefinite hiatus due to loss of interest in the Naruto series and a lack of suitable inspiration.
1. Divine Intervention

****Fate and Fantasy****

****Chapter 1: Divine Intervention****

"How could they do this to a child?"

It was not the first time that night that Sarutobi Hiruzen had uttered that question aloud as he stared at the comatose boy laid out on the hospital bed before him. Uzumaki Naruto was entirely too still for such an energetic child and covered head to foot with bandages that left only his eyes, nose and mouth uncovered.

In the corner Hatake Kakashi, who had discarded his ANBU mask shortly after the last doctor had been escorted from the room, fidgeted anxiously. "With any luck Ibiki will have an answer for you before tomorrow," he nearly snarled.

Sarutobi shot the younger man a quelling glance. "Contain yourself, Kakashi," he admonished. "I know it is hard on you to see him in such a state, it is the same for me, but that is no reason to lose control."

"But what if this isn't the first time they allowed something like this to happen?" Kakashi seethed. "I tried to keep an eye on him as often as possible and I know you checked up on him periodically but neither of us could be there all the time. What if-"

"That is enough, Kakashi!" Sarutobi interrupted sharply. "We mustn't allow ourselves to become mired in pointless 'what if's'. Naruto has never showed any signs of abuse or mistreatment before this and I'm fairly confident that between the two of us something like that wouldn't have slipped past our notice."

"Then why wait until _now_?" Kakashi asked, giving voice to a question that had plagued both men since Naruto's rescue from the orphanage. "Why let a bunch of drunks into the orphanage and allow them to set his room on fire? Why not just kill him in his sleep themselves? Why-"

"Kakashi, I thought I told you to stop that," Sarutobi interjected with a tired sigh. "You'll grow old before your time and give me _more_ gray hairs."

Kakashi sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and gave a weak chuckle before lapsing into an uneasy silence. He blinked his one visible eye in confusion though when something put his finely tuned senses on alert, his hand unconsciously moving for a kunai as a sense of wrongness settled upon him. Kakashi looked towards Sarutobi and the elderly Hokage nodded slowly, he felt it too.

It took a few moments to realize just what had them on edge. It was much too quiet, almost dead silent were it not for their breathing. The various monitors and machines that were hooked to Naruto were frozen and silent. Naruto, unnervingly still before, wasn't even breathing anymore and if it wasn't for his uncommonly large chakra signature that continued to assault their senses they would have assumed he was dead.

Something about this seemed eerily familiar to the Hokage as Sarutobi discreetly signaled for Kakashi to check on the ANBU guards just outside the door while he kept an eye on Naruto. This effect was disturbingly similar to an experimental stasis seal the Yondaime had been testing shortly before his death that was supposed to encase someone, a dangerous prisoner for instance, in some manner of time displacement field. Minato hadn't been able to create a stable prototype before his death and unfortunately any and all notes he might have had were sealed away in the Namikaze estate and out of their reach unless he was willing to risk Naruto's identity as the Namikaze heir to be uncovered.

"_After this though..." _Sarutobi thought worriedly. _"We were so close to losing him tonight, at the hands of our own people no less. Is it worth protecting him from enemies without when he could be so easily struck from within?"_

He pushed that thought aside to glance over his shoulder and check on Kakashi, who used ANBU hand signs to indicate that the strange stillness was not confined to the room and encompassed the guards and staff outside as well.

"_So it _is_ like Minato's stasis seal, just on a much larger scale." _Sarutobi mused as he turned back to check on Naruto. "_Though how Kakashi and I aren't affe-"_ his train of thought came to an abrupt halt at the sight that greeted him.

Three people were arrayed around Naruto's bed with no obvious sign of how they managed to get past the two highly trained shinobi in the room. One was a girl that looked no older than twelve, with silvery-blonde hair and pale blue eyes and dressed in a snow white kimono, that was perched on the edge of his bed running her hand tenderly down his bandaged cheek with a sad smile on her face. Standing just behind her was a beautiful woman with long black hair and emerald green eyes clad in a pitch black kimono. A grim look marred her almost unnatural beauty as she laid a consoling hand on the younger girl's shoulder. There was a glint of something in her eyes as she looked down at Naruto that sent a shiver down Sarutobi's spine and he couldn't help but wonder what about the boy would inspire such a look. The last figure towered head and shoulders above them all and was wrapped in a ragged gray shroud that prevented him from telling whether it was a man or woman though he caught a glimpse of wild gray hair peeking out from under the shroud.

Kakashi instinctively moved, kunai in hand, to protect Naruto but Sarutobi caught him by the shoulder before he could get very far. If these three were responsible for essentially stopping time around them, there was little even he, the Shinobi no Kami himself, could likely do against them.

Without looking up from Naruto the young girl spoke. "Such darkness clouding his future, sisters," she lamented. "So much loneliness on the path waiting for him. Where could it have all gone wrong?"

The older woman gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze as she shook her head. "It's hard to say, sister, the shadows of this world are deep and hide many things even from our eyes. They will only grow deeper as time passes."

"Never before has one of our Chosen been forced to shoulder their destiny in such solitude," the shrouded one intoned in an aged, yet distinctly feminine, voice. "The burdens he will be forced to bear will keep him from seeking the light of his world's salvation."

The two shinobi shared a confused glance as the trio of strange women nodded gravely. Much of that short conversation had gone completely over their heads but they hadn't missed the mention of Naruto's future and it's bleak outlook.

"_Are they fortune tellers, or true seers perhaps?" _Sarutobi wondered briefly but something about them, a sense of hidden power or danger from all three, made him keep his silence and tighten his grip on Kakashi as a precaution.

"We cannot let things proceed as they will sisters," the young blonde declared.

"That goes without question, dear sister," the dark haired one agreed. "But what does remain in question is how shall we go about shaping a new path for our Chosen?"

They fell into a contemplative silence that lasted long enough that even Sarutobi began to fidget uneasily as he simply stood by and allowed these strangers to discuss the future of the boy he considered a surrogate grandson. It was only a feeling deep in his gut, one that he had come to rely upon over the years, that kept him from lashing out.

Eventually the young blonde grimaced. "Our choices are very limited it seems. We cannot simply replace him now, events have already been set into motion that not even we could change. Even if we could there were only two others that _could _have been suitable but the one is already dead and the other fallen to the darkness."

"Well if we cannot replace young Naruto, then what about displacing him?" The black clad woman suggested.

"Time is not something to be meddled with lightly, sisters," the shrouded one admonished lightly. "Even if we were to attempt it we would simply have to deal with the same issues as a replacement and then some. He would view the world through jaded eyes and be burdened with not only his destiny but his knowledge of the future. The fear of changing things for the worse or being unable to change things could very well crush him far more effectively than any foe."

The younger pair nodded thoughtfully, eerily in unison, as they mulled over her words. "Well don't keep us in suspense, dear sister. I assume you have a plan?"

"We must, as the saying goes, think outside the box in this instance. If we leave things as they are the Elemental Countries _might_ know peace, but in the end nothing will change and the world will die a slow death. What Elementia needs is a hero and as the last true chance for it's, and magic's, survival, young Naruto is the best we can possibly hope for."

She paused as if to gauge her sister's reactions, who continued to stare intently at her, before continuing. "As such I pose this question: who better to train such a hero than another who has shared his burden?"

Her siblings blinked bemusedly and glanced at one another, again in perfect synchronization, before responding. "You are suggesting we bring one of our former Chosen here to instruct him?" The younger asked in surprise.

"Not just one," the elder corrected. "There are foes in his path that could challenge some of our greatest champions if they were without their comrades and Naruto will be forced to face these battles alone. As such he must surpass all those that came before him in every way. We must simply choose those most suitable to pass on their knowledge."

"Perhaps we should take the time to set certain..._events_ into motion to safeguard his future first," the black clad sister suggested delicately.

Quite suddenly the two shinobi found themselves the focus of three piercing stares, the shrouded one shifting to reveal a mask in the shape of a demon's leering visage that only intensified the effect.

"Thank you for your patience with our rambling, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Kakashi," the younger girl stated.

"We did not mean to ignore you gentlemen for so long," the middle sister continued apologetically. "We simply could not allow this situation to unfold as we had foreseen."

"I'm certain you have many questions," the eldest rasped. "We shall endeavor to answer what we can."

Sarutobi and Kakashi stared at the trio in something of a daze, their minds struggling to comprehend the situation they found themselves in. Kakashi recovered first, pushing the majority of his confusion to the back of his mind while the Sandaime continued to puzzle over all that they'd heard, and asked the question that was forefront in both their minds.

"Who are you? _What_ are you?"

That drew amused smiles from the sisters. "An understandable reaction I suppose. We are the Keepers of Order and Life, the Guardians of innumerable worlds. The people of the Elemental Nations know me as Kami, goddess of creation and life," the younger girl stated, holding one hand to her chest and giving a slight bow.

Her black clad sister gave the shocked pair a wicked grin. "Yami, goddess of judgment and hell," her bow was mocking. "At your service."

The shrouded sister shook her head in exasperation. "There is no need for that, sister," she chided. "As for me I am the Shinigami, goddess of darkness and death."

Kakashi looked between them in disbelief for a few moments before sitting heavily on a chair near the door, his lone eye fixed on the one that claimed to be the being that was ultimately responsible for his sensei's death and Naruto's burden. Sarutobi however took it in stride and bowed in return before moving to stand opposite Kami and Yami, staring down at Naruto in concern.

"You are taking our words at face value, Sarutobi?" Yami questioned. "I am surprised a Hokage would be so trusting."

He spared her a glance and a small smile before turning back to Naruto. "Your power," he said, sweeping his arm to indicate Naruto's still form and the silent machines. "Is quite apparent despite the fact that I couldn't, and still can't, sense you even though you're standing right before my eyes. The way you speak as well...was his life truly going to be so terrible?"

Kami gave him a sad smile. "As we saw it...yes. Incidents such as this were few and far between but each one would be just as vicious, if not more so, and would drive him further into his shell. It is the neglect and hatred that leaves the greatest blemish upon his future however."

"Neglect? Hatred?" Kakashi echoed incredulously. "What about us? Why would we just let things like that go unanswered?"

"You, Hatake, are one of the most valuable assets in this village and eventually you can not be spared to guard one child, no matter how important he is to you." Yami explained. "The majority of attempts on his life take place when you are conveniently out of the village and your replacement is, at best, indifferent to Naruto's plight."

"While you are a powerful shinobi, Sarutobi," the Shinigami continued. "The position that allows you to give Naruto a measure of safety also limits the amount of effort you can put forth to watch over him. Together you still manage to keep the very worst from reaching him but you fail him in so many other respects..."

Kakashi flinched at the hint of accusation in her tone but Sarutobi simply shrugged it off. "You spoke of safeguarding him...what would you have us do?" He asked with conviction.

"First and foremost his heritage _must _be revealed," Kami paused a moment, perhaps to give Sarutobi time to protest, but he merely gestured for her to continue. "It is not worth protecting him from enemies outside the village when he can be struck down so easily by the very people he will grow up to protect. Konoha has recovered enough to make any enemy think twice before trying to strike at a lone boy, no matter who his parents were."

The elderly Hokage nodded firmly as the goddess echoed his earlier thoughts. "With his safety more or less assured and the village firmly supporting him Naruto's considerable talents will not be allowed to waste away and that, combined with his magic and our gifts, will make him a force of change in this world." Yami declared.

"That's the second time you've mentioned magic," Kakashi noted quietly. "I thought monsters were the only ones that could use magic anymore."

"The last known magic users in the Elemental Nations were the Kazama Clan," Sarutobi added slowly. "But they were wiped out nearly five centuries ago after trying to conquer Iwa. Are you saying that Naruto is related to them in some way?"

"Indeed he is, on his father's side," the Shinigami confirmed. "Before the Kazama were wiped out the Namikaze were a branch family of sorts, where members who didn't have any noticeable aptitude with magic were relegated. Minato was probably the strongest Namikaze since the fall of the Kazama and the closest to reawakening his kekkei genkai, until Naruto here that is. Our gifts shall ensure that his magic _does_ awaken."

"And what of these gifts then?" Kakashi inquired. "If he has so much latent ability that such a small change will let flourish then why give him, I would assume, so many other advantages and training?"

"Rather than just tell you about our gifts, how about we show you?" Kami replied. "Would you summon _him_, dear sister? I think he has everything we need and then some."

A gleeful smile appeared on Yami's face as she moved around Naruto's bed and opened the room's only window as wide as it could go. The two shinobi watched with interest as she clasped her hands together then flung them out before her, releasing a ball of green energy with an orange symbol floating in it's center that meandered around for a second before shooting off into the sky.

She turned back to them and her smile was, if anything, even larger. "As for the why, it is pretty simple. By revealing his heritage and allowing his true potential to grow unhindered we paint a target on his back and enemies who would have ignored or underestimated him otherwise would do their damnedest to see him dead. Naruto _must not_ _die_ before his destiny is fulfilled, for if he does Elementia will fall. Perhaps not immediately, perhaps not even for centuries but it will fall and with it's death hundreds, if not thousands, of other worlds will follow."

Seeing the startled looks on the the two shinobi's faces the Shinigami shook her head in exasperation again. "Stop being so dramatic, sister. Our Chosen will ensure he becomes the hero this world needs and your _friend_ will help protect him until such time as he can face his enemies on his own," she assured the two men before they could worry themselves further.

Kakashi rubbed his face wearily, this was starting to be a little to much for him. Even Sarutobi looked somewhat troubled. "It saddens me that he must bear so many burdens from such a young age," he lamented.

"It is necessary though," Kami informed him sadly. "With Naruto's father dead and the other lost to us he is the only one we can rely upon."

"Enough of this depressing talk," Yami exclaimed, clapping her hands together sharply. "He's on his way and it looks like he wants to make an entrance. Sarutobi, dear sister, I would suggest moving aside."

The Hokage blinked once in confusion before complying, moving to stand next to Kakashi. Kami merely stretched out next to Naruto, propping her head up with one hand and leaving the other resting on his chest. Yami shot the younger looking goddess a small smirk as she leaned up against the wall beside the window and the Shinigami simply shook her head, yet again, in exasperation.

They held that strange tableau for several moments before the sound of laughter cut through the silent night air.

"Mwuahahahahaha!"

As the two shinobi in the room tensed, a dark red blur shot through the open window and flew mere inches over Naruto's bed, crashed into the wall across the way with a sharp yelp of pain and crumpled to the ground just out of sight. Two of the goddesses sighed wearily and Yami giggled at the slack jawed looks that the two shinobi sported, which were undoubtedly about to become worse.

The dark red blur shot up once again, skimmed the ceiling and landed, light-footed, on the railing of Naruto's hospital bed revealing itself to be a fairly tall red cloaked figure.

A red cloaked figure with mottled gray skin and six arms.

It took a moment to survey the room and it's occupants before it began swaying and weaving it's arms around in complicated, and utterly ridiculous looking, patterns. "The Seeker of Blades and Collector of Relics both great and small, magical and mundane! A Wanderer of Worlds and Swordsman Supreme! A hero? A villain? Neither! I am GILGAMESH!" As suddenly as it began the strange dance stopped and the figure dropped into an exaggerated stage bow. "At your service!"

"Your entrance still needs a little work, Gil," the Shinigami deadpanned, eliciting further giggles from both her sisters.

Gilgamesh's arms fell to his sides and his shoulders slumped dejectedly as he heaved a mock sigh of sadness. "First the stupid bridge and then the cliff and now that stupid wall and..." they could almost hear the pout in his voice as he trailed off into indistinct muttering.

The two shinobi shared a quick glance and, seeing the shocked look mirrored on each other's faces, quickly closed their mouths and regained their composure.

"Get down from there, Gil," Kami ordered. "We have important matters to discuss."

As the gray skinned man nimbly hopped down to the floor, Sarutobi couldn't help but be reminded of Jiraiya, one of his wayward students. Despite his unique entrance and introduction, not to mention the somewhat silly dance plus the odd manner of clothing he was wearing, white pants with red spots all over them and that tattered red cloak concealing all but his eyes, there was something about the way Gilgamesh moved and carried himself that didn't allow you to simply dismiss him as a threat whatever your first impression.

"Must be important indeed, to call me away from my normal stomping grounds," Gilgamesh remarked airily. "And with my entire collection no less. Need me to poke holes in some heroic egos or throw a wrench in some dastardly villain's plans?"

"A little bit of both actually," Yami replied, her earlier grin fading away. "Circumstances have forced us to intervene on behalf of our Chosen and our solution to this dilemma leaves you in a..._unique_ position to help us set things right."

Gilgamesh nodded thoughtfully as he looked over Naruto's bandaged form, absently placing a hand on his forehead. After a few seconds he stepped back with a shudder and frantically rubbed his eyes much to Sarutobi and Kakashi's confusion

"Oh dear god!" He exclaimed. "The orange! So much orange! Please, please, please tell me that's something we can change," he nearly begged.

"Gil," the Shinigami began warningly. "You are hardly one to criticize another's fashion choices...although," she added, almost as an afterthought. "I suppose we are early enough to prevent that particular...quirk."

"Oh thank god!" Gilgamesh quailed under the glares from the three goddesses and he quickly changed tack. "So what was the plan then? I'm awesome and powerful and all that but I don't think I can teach him a whole lot. He's...a few arms short I guess you could say," he finished somewhat sheepishly.

"Teaching him isn't what we had in mind for you," Kami assured him. "We are going to be bringing a couple of our old Chosen into this world to handle that aspect. For the most part we wanted you to act as an additional protector and perhaps as a test of his power once he's old enough to utilize his skill and magic."

"So I'm going to be that kid's personal guard dog and glorified measuring stick from now on?" He asked somewhat moodily as his shoulders slumped.

Yami placed a consoling hand on one of his arms. "Well if you wish to think of it so bluntly...then yes," she said. "Think of it this way, not only will you have the chance to catch up with some old friends, you'll be allowed free rein to roam this world and expand your collection after young Naruto is fully prepared."

"You mean I can have my rematch with Bartz then?" Gilgamesh asked eagerly.

"I'm afraid not," the Shinigami informed him, causing Gilgamesh to slump again. "While Bartz and his companions were strong they relied far to heavily upon the Crystal shards for their power. Furthermore, we dare not introduce the Crystals to Elementia. Even broken they could shift the balance of power in the world irrevocably."

"Well damn," Gilgamesh responded dryly. "So, just who _is _going to be stuck teaching the brat then?"

"We hadn't decided yet," Kami informed him absently, having gone back to stroking Naruto's cheek. "But one thing is certain, we must find the best."

"Well," Yami began thoughtfully. "Sword and hand-to-hand combat skills are pretty standard fare for this world so that narrows our choices severely."

"Well if it's the best we want, then Cloud would be my first choice," the Shinigami suggested. "Despite his origins and issues, with his natural skill and instinctive chakra control he was probably the greatest swordsman to live in the Crystal Realms."

"Or at least the greatest that didn't turn to evil," Kami remarked airily. "Still, his personality will work as a calming influence for Naruto in the future. That will certainly lessen the amount of trouble he might find himself in."

"That is something we'll have to be careful of as well," Yami interjected. "Too many conflicting personalities could smother his own."

"Wait a minute, 'smother his own?'" Kakashi echoed incredulously. "What the hell does that mean? I thought you were just bringing people here to train him?"

"If only it were that simple," the Shinigami replied with a tired sigh. "We are not the only powers at work in the 'verse, and we must abide by certain guidelines or risk conflict. If we were to physically bring these heroes into Elementia, each of them with power comparable to or greater than some of your greatest Kage, our opposition would be able to do the same or worse in equal measure. There are some forms of evil that we cannot allow to take root here." she explained.

"As such we must take a unique approach," Kami continued. "Naruto already holds a second soul inside him and the seal is more than adequate to contain more. The problem with introducing foreign souls is that, with time, they will begin to merge with the host soul, which in turn causes the host to develop similar mental processes and physical traits."

"This merging doesn't apply to the Kyūbi since his soul is immortal and immutable," Yami assured the two men before they could ask the obvious question. "In fact he will act as a sort of buffer, which will slow the process considerably and allow more time for Naruto to be trained."

Sarutobi nodded slowly in understanding but gestured at Gilgamesh with some confusion. "Then what about him? Won't his inclusion in this have consequences?"

"Nu-uh, old man," Gilgamesh said, wagging several fingers reprovingly at him. "I'm a special case. A free, or third-party, agent if you will. I suppose if you want to be really technical about it, I'm an agent of Chaos. This will hardly be the first time I've fought or helped a would be hero. Though I suppose this'll mark the first time I do both from the get-go," he finished thoughtfully.

"Back to the original discussion however, if we are worried about him losing himself how about anchoring him with a someone with a similar disposition?"

Both Kami and Yami looked at their sister appraisingly. "That might work," Kami replied slowly. "And if you're thinking of who I think you are that will certainly cover his martial arts training as well."

"Oh please tell me you don't mean...you do," Gilgamesh said with a groan that ended with a shudder. "Well I suppose Zell is hardly the worst choice from that particular world," he amended.

"Indeed, just imagine what he would be like with Squall's or Irving's influence or, heaven forbid, Selphie's even?" Yami retorted with a giggle.

The Shinigami snorted at her sister's suggestions. "Oh yes, either he'd become a recluse that pushed everyone away, which isn't something he needs, a hopeless womanizer, something Konoha can do without, or a hyperactive ditz that would drive everyone around him mad."

"Please, sisters, focus," Kami said with a small grin. "The nature of combat in the Elemental Nations makes our next choice fairly simple, as there have been only three heroes with ninja training that could match the ninja of this world."

"Why would Naruto need ninja training from some outsider?" Kakashi cut in sharply. "He's going to be raised in a village filled with skilled ninja already."

"That's true," Yami replied with an unconcerned shrug. "But none of you understand the workings of mana or magic anymore. Furthermore, when his bloodline awakens, Naruto will lose his natural elemental chakra affinity and the ability to gain others with time and training."

"Which would make learning even the weakest elemental jutsu a challenge for him and using them would drain him more than normal even if he did master them," Sarutobi concluded.

"Precisely," the Shinigami replied. "There are ways to weave mana and chakra together to mimic the ninjutsu used by your own ninja, but any records or teachings of such has long since been lost to this world. It also gives us only one real choice to train him: Edge, the Ninja Prince. His style of ninjutsu may have lacked the finesse that the Kazama prized but it certainly had more power."

"_Ninja Prince?"_ The question flitted through both shinobi's minds as they shared a bemused glance, wondering what could warrant such a peculiar title.

"All fine choices," Kami stated. "I would propose a fourth however: Zidane."

"The thief? Why?" Yami asked, quirking an eyebrow at her sister.

"You and your odd fetish for tails again," the Shinigami sighed.

"It has nothing to do with that, sister!" Kami exclaimed with a slight blush. "The others are all great warriors, the greatest in some respects, and he is certainly a match for them but Zidane has something they don't: charisma. He understood people and how to inspire them."

"And he was good with the ladies," Gilgamesh broke in with a giggle that was echoed by Yami.

"Yes, there is that too," she agreed. "I rather think Naruto may need that in the future."

"A fair point I suppose," the Shinigami said. "We are pushing the limits of our interference however, I don't think it would be safe introducing more souls to this realm. Shall we get started?"

Kami kissed Naruto lightly on the forehead before rising up in the air and floating so that she was at eye level with Yami, glowing with an inner light that gathered on her palm as she held it over him. Yami moved forward to join her sisters as the shadows in the room began to flow towards her and likewise gather in her palm. The Shinigami waited for a moment before thrusting her hands into the aura created by her sisters, molding them together in an amorphous, swirling mass.

Gilgamesh stepped away and joined the two shinobi by the door when the mass began to expand, swallowing up Naruto and the three goddesses in the process. It was an impressive sight, the white and black energy warring and mixing with the other with a hint of crimson light shining out of the grayish center. It silently bulged after a few minutes, looking like it was going to burst, before collapsing swiftly inwards to reveal four more figures at Naruto's bedside.

The four men, who wavered insubstantially like wraiths, stood still as statues at Kami and Yami's sides with their eyes closed peacefully and seemingly dead to the world around them. The two shinobi took a moment to carefully examine these so-called Chosen "heroes."

To Yami's left was a man that could easily have been mistaken for some long lost relative of Kakashi's, with his spiky white hair and pure white face mask covering the lower half of face. His outfit was similar in some ways to the standard ANBU uniform, though the additional traveling cloak and pants were white like his face mask and the armor was form fitted and his arm and shin guards were fairly ornate yet functional and made of high quality materials. This was most likely the one the goddesses had referred to as the "Ninja Prince," Edge.

To her right stood a blond haired man with a ridiculous looking hairdo, sticking up in the very front with the rest swept back, that looked no older than Kakashi and seemed rather nondescript for someone who could supposedly match a Kage. His clothing lacked the armor of his white haired companion, consisting of a black vest with red designs stitched along the zipper over a simple black shirt. Jean shorts, red and black running shoes and unadorned fingerless gloves completed his look. In truth he could have been mistaken for a simple civilian if it weren't for his lean but muscular physique and the tattoo on the left side of his face that stretched from his hairline to his jaw that was of a style neither man recognized.

Opposite of him, at Kami's left, was another blond haired man that reminded Sarutobi eerily of Minato. His hair, although slightly longer, was spiked in much the same way, with two bangs framing his face and he was nearly the same height. His entire outfit was black, though his high-collared shirt, pants and boots were a lighter shade than the rest. His left arm was bare while his right was covered by a long sleeve secured by a single pauldron with a wolf's head brooch anchoring the strap that held it in place. A long, loose, piece of cloth covered his right leg that was held in place by a second strap that crossed over his left shoulder. They could just make out several harnesses and loops attached to these straps on his back that looked as though they were made to hold several blades of varying sizes.

To Kami's right was yet another blond with shoulder-length hair, slightly longer in the back and tied into a pony tail. He too lacked any real armor and his clothing seemed more ostentatious than functional with a blue half vest over a sleeveless white shirt with a ruffled collar and a pair of finely tailored blue pants held up by an overly long leather belt that was tied into a loose knot rather than fastened. Only his heavy duty gray gloves and boots and the empty sheath on his hip gave a hint to his familiarity with travel and combat. His most striking feature however was the three foot tail that extended from his backside and was curled slightly around his legs.

"Awaken, Chosen," Kami commanded softly. "It is time for you to fulfill your roles once again."

As one the four men opened their eyes, blinked a couple of times, and began examining the room, it's occupants and their own insubstantial bodies with great curiosity.

"This feels so weird," the one with the tattoo murmured as he flexed and stretched his limbs experimentally, that drew agreeing nods from the others.

"I thought you were going to be sticking us into the gut of some brat," his white haired companion drawled. "What gives?"

"There were a few more steps involved in the process, and we figured it would be polite to introduce the "brat's" future teachers to his most stalwart protectors first," Yami informed him wryly, gesturing to the three standing near the door.

"Chosen, allow us to introduce you to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, Hatake Kakashi, one of his most powerful shinobi, and Gilgamesh, our agent and a familiar face to some of you," the Shinigami said, pointed to each in turn.

"Jack, it's been too long!" The one with a tail exclaimed as the young man with the tattoo waved jauntily to the six armed man, who returned the greeting with gusto.

Kami picked up where her sister had left off, introducing their Chosen. "Gentlemen, to my left is Cloud Strife, a former mercenary and master swordsman," the man who reminded Sarutobi of Minato nodded respectfully, his blue eyes actually glowing with an inner light that, combined with his wraith-like appearance, was somewhat intimidating.

"To my right is Zidane Tribal, an accomplished thief and stage performer," he greeted the raised eyebrows at the second appellation with a cheery grin and a bow.

"Across from him is Zell Dincht, also a former mercenary and master martial artist," the man with the tattoo winked and gave them a thumbs up.

"And the last is Edward Geraldine, King of Eblan although his moniker of "Edge the Ninja Prince" never really fell out of use."

"I made it a point to respond only to Edge except in court or during important functions," he informed them with a short bow which they returned.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Sarutobi said as he straightened and continued in a softer tone. "And thank you for agreeing to help us look after Naruto."

"You don't have to thank us," Cloud replied softly, resting one hand on Naruto's bandaged shoulder. "This may not be our world but I think I speak for all of us when I say that we couldn't just stand by and let the boy suffer."

"Damn straight!" Zell growled, pounding his fist into his palm.

Zidane nodded in agreement. "Are you certain you can change how things will turn out for him?" He asked the goddesses. "All the power in the world might not be enough if everything remains the same."

"That is actually the easiest part," Yami informed him as she drew a syringe seemingly from nowhere. "A little blood will convince the sheep of his lineage and give the shinobi a new reason to look after him."

"It's sad how easily human opinions can be swayed sometimes," the Shinigami groused while her sister drew some blood. "But as we said that isn't the real problem. The real problem is Kyūbi and his corruption."

Seeing the concerned and curious looks around her, Kami began to explain. "The Kyūbi no Yoko is the second most powerful of our guardians in this world but he is just as susceptible to the evil that preys upon the hearts and minds of humans and was subsequently consumed by it. The seal that was used to contain him was designed to filter out the corruption when his power was accessed. We dare not try to simply remove the evil directly, not even we are immune to it's twisted properties, but with our Chosen here there is a way to speed up the process now."

Yami broke into a wide smile as she straightened up and allowed the now full syringe to float carefully into Sarutobi's hands. "You four will have to battle him inside the seal, forcing him to use his power which will, in turn, flow through the seal and be purified."

"So we have to kill one of this world's guardians then?" Cloud asked with such casual confidence, as though it was something that he'd done before, that Sarutobi and Kakashi couldn't help the incredulous looks that they shot him.

Looking at the others though Sarutobi couldn't help but wonder just what trials these four men had been forced to endure in their own worlds that none of them looked worried in the least at the thought of facing down one of the most powerful forces in the Elemental Nations. In fact they all exuded the same sense of confidence, Zell was practically bouncing on his toes in eagerness, that Cloud displayed.

"Nothing quite so dramatic," the Shinigami replied with a dry chuckle. "He only has half of his full power at his disposal, we're keeping the other half until he is free again, and you wouldn't actually be able to do lasting damage to him any more than he could do to you. Only Naruto has the ability to do that, as it is his body and soul keeping the Kyūbi in check."

"Kinda takes the fun out of it," Zell mumbled in and undertone but not quietly enough.

"This is not a matter to be taken lightly," Kami admonished sharply. "Even weakened as he is the invulnerability you both will share will make him no less dangerous than if he was in the physical world."

"So now that the introductions are out of the way what's next?" Zidane interrupted, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. "You mentioned a few more steps before we got to work?"

"Yes, first and foremost we must awaken his magic otherwise some of your own powers will be limited during your battle," Yami began. "Gil, you still have all the Master Materia don't you?"

"Naturally!" Gilgamesh scoffed, drawing his cloak across his body for a moment before throwing it back with a flourish to reveal three large crystals, one red, another green and the last a sickly yellow, resting in his palms. All three floated up and away from him, coming to rest in the air before the three goddesses. Cloud stared at them with a thoughtful frown.

"I can understand the Magic, and the Skill Materia to an extent, but isn't the Master Summon a bit much?" He asked.

"Not particularly," the Shinigami replied. "This world already has summons of their own, some of them more than a match for all but the oldest and strongest Eidolons. It will take them time to establish themselves but one more world under their purview is not so great a stretch."

"Is all that truly necessary?" Sarutobi broke in. "I understand that my student, Jiraiya, had intended for Naruto to take up the Toad contract like his father when he was old enough."

A thunderous look flitted briefly over Kami's features before she regained her composure. "What that _man_ wanted is of no importance anymore," she growled. "This mess is _his _fault and the less influence _he _has the better."

Seeing Sarutobi about to speak up in defense of his most faithful student, Yami cut in before he could draw her sister's ire. "Jiraiya is a whimsical fool Sarutobi, well meaning perhaps but a fool never the less, and that whimsy allowed our enemies to influence his actions to their favor," she explained.

Sarutobi deflated at her words. They were quite similar to what both Orochimaru and Tsunade had once said of their perverted teammate, though Orochimaru's were much harsher, and he couldn't honestly refute them. In truth it was that very nature that made him such a successful spymaster, it was nearly impossible for their enemies to trace his contacts since they were usually the oddest choices imaginable and there was little to connect one to another. It was also that nature that fueled the "hobby" that spawned his budding Icha Icha series as well and made him so infamous with the opposite sex across the _entire_ continent.

Mentally shaking himself free of that line of thought Sarutobi turned his attention back to the scene before him just as the goddesses vanished Naruto's bandages, drawing grimaces from the four heroes at the sight of his badly burned body. Slowly the three Materia disintegrated into a fine glittering dust that swiftly settled upon Naruto like a second, shimmering skin. It stayed there for several seconds before it seemed to sink straight though his skin leaving it perfect and unblemished.

Whatever force that had been holding Naruto relinquished it's grip as his back arched up off the bed accompanied by a massive inhalation, his eyes snapping open and glowing bright enough to illuminate half the room with an eerie light. Slowly Naruto exhaled and his body relaxed until he was laying comfortably on the bed once again. His gaze swept over the faces gathered around him, bathing them in the intense light and seemingly studying them with curiosity, though it was hard to read his expression through the glare. His eyes closed wearily as he fell back into a natural slumber this time, hints of light still peeking out from under his eyelids.

"Well that was...interesting," Edge opined after several moments of silence.

"What _was_ that?" Kakashi demanded with no small amount of shock.

"It's a side effect of Mako infused into the body, though I've never seen such a powerful response before," Cloud explained. "Of course I've never seen such a concentrated dose of Mako ever fed straight into a child before either. That isn't going to harm him, will it?"

"Of course not," the Shinigami assured him. "Within a day or two it will die down to a softer luminescence, like your own. The way we bonded the materia to him will make it a permanent and hereditary trait for his family in the future."

"That's a very distinct way of distinguishing members of his clan," Sarutobi murmured. "Won't that mark them too easily for their enemies?"

"Perhaps," Kami allowed, before breaking into a dark smile. "But I pity the fools who think they can simply kidnap him or his descendants without repercussions."

Sarutobi and Kakashi shared a curious look but filed their questions away for later. There was so much about tonight that they still had to process, and more yet they had to do, that it wouldn't do them any good to add more to the pile before they could work through it. It was a situation Sarutobi was intimately familiar with after dealing with paperwork, of all things, for so many years.

The elderly Hokage was almost certain the ensuing round of giggling from the goddesses was at his expense.

"Well," he said after clearing his throat loudly. "Unless there is anything further you need us for, Kakashi and I can begin the process of reclaiming Naruto's heritage."

The three goddesses shared a quick look before Yami nodded. "That should be fine. Gilgamesh will be able to answer any further questions you may have in the future."

"That shouldn't be a problem," he agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "In fact I might have an idea or two about how you can keep the council sheep from bleating too loudly about this, a little shock and awe perhaps. You'll need to head to your office first yes?"

When Sarutobi nodded Gilgamesh moved to the window, putting one foot up on the sill. "Then I shall meet you there so we can discuss our options," and with that he leapt out into the night, his cloak flapping noisily in his wake.

"I suppose there is little reason left to delay," the Shinigami declared with a sigh. "I expect it to be many years before our paths cross again, Sarutobi, Hatake."

With those final words the goddesses, their Chosen and Naruto seemed to blur before the two shinobi's eyes. The effect quickly spread to the entire room, leaving the two men trying to hold in the contents of their stomachs as the feeling that the world was shifting hit them. Nearly as quickly as the feeling came it passed and the room came back into focus, without the goddesses or the four heroes and them back in the places they'd been before everything had begun.

Sarutobi and Kakashi shared a dazed look, wondering for a second if everything they'd just seen and heard had been some kind of shared delusion or genjutsu, but that line of thought quickly faded with a look at Naruto's peaceful and unblemished form.

"So what do we do now?" Kakashi asked, rubbing the visible portion of his face wearily.

"We act," Sarutobi declared firmly. "I need you to make your way to the Clan Archives to release Minato and Kushina's wills and bring them and whatever copies there may be to my office. You will need my signet ring to authorize it."

Kakashi tentatively took the old bronze band from the Hokage. "What about Naruto's official birth records and the documents authenticating sensei's marriage, shouldn't I be getting them too?"

"All of those are stored in the secure safe in my office so as soon as you bring the wills I shall have everything we need to prove Naruto's heritage."

Kakashi quickly donned his ANBU mask and moved to follow as the Hokage strode to the door and threw it open. The three ANBU stationed right outside the door straightened almost imperceptibly when they noted the intense look on their leader's face.

"Neko," Sarutobi barked out. "Relay orders to the Messenger Division that I'm calling for an emergency Council meeting. _Every _councilor is expected to attend, failure to do so will be punished. Are my orders clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the female ANBU replied and with a quick shunshin was gone.

"Taka, I want you to find Dr. Yakushi and inform him that Naruto will need his eyes bandaged, carefully mind you. When that is done you will remain in the room until either Inu or I relieve you, am I understood?"

With a quiet murmur of acknowledgment Taka was gone in search of the doctor. The bear masked ANBU turned to them and Sarutobi could just barely hear the hint of worry in his voice when he spoke. "Is Naruto alright, Hokage-sama?"

"Naruto is fine, Kuma," Sarutobi assured the young ANBU with a small smile. "In fact after tonight he'll be better than fine."

He could almost feel the confusion radiating off Kuma so Sarutobi seized upon the first thing he could think of to keep him occupied. "I want you to remain here and guard Naruto with Taka when he returns. Should Naruto wake, answer what questions you can without delving into the more gruesome details and tell him that I shall be back sometime tomorrow, I trust you can handle that?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Kuma murmured as he moved past them into the room.

With a quick nod Kakashi vanished with a shunshin to his appointed task and Sarutobi allowed a smile to grow on his face, the first true smile he'd had in many years. He'd almost forgotten just how good it felt to do something simply because it was the _right_ thing to do.

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><p>AN: There you go, the first chapter of _Fate and Fantasy_, my response to the Final Fantasy/Naruto challenge posted by **DragonMaster4381 **in the last chapter of his story _Naruto Unlimited_, a fun little time travel fic that I finally broke down and read a few months ago, so if you want to know the full details (he has a list of 35 guidelines/suggestions as well as lists of magic and summons, which I have altered greatly and may release in later chapters, and alternate Biju, which I _haven't_ altered) go check it out.

For those of you who are curious this will be a Naruto/Hinata and Naruto/FemHaku fic and, depending on reader preference, may branch out into a harem (probably no more than four or five women in total), so speak out and let your voices be heard! Remember, despite what most authors might say, we are doing this for all of you, and your input is valuable (if I wasn't doing this for you I'd be more than happy to just keep it all in my head). If enough people call for it (or I just break down and write it anyway) I'll start a poll for the members of said harem in the second or third chapter.

Now, for those of you who _did_ enjoy my work thus far, I feel obligated to warn you that _Fate and Fantasy_ will likely suffer from sporadic update speeds, at best. I started writing this chapter nearly two months ago immediately after I received permission from **DragonMaster4381**, and was quickly stymied by planning out the plot, refreshing my knowledge of both sources (thank Damon for Narutopedia and Final Fantasy Wikia) and the severe lack of attention span that I frequently suffer from. Never fear, I AM writing and this will update..._eventually_.

By the by, during one of my frequent stumps, something started bothering me. It took me some time to figure out what it was but I finally realized that something Gilgamesh said shortly after he arrived, the part about Naruto not having enough arms for him to be an effective trainer, was tickling my fancy and so I arrive at this idea: Just what do you guys think about Gilgamesh training Kidomaru, that six armed, spider themed member of the Sound Four? I think it has a certain amount of...apropos that the game obsessed ninja be raised and trained by a former video game boss. That sound interesting to any of you? If Gilgamesh does pick him up he'd take the roll of a kind of big brother figure for Naruto perhaps and will probably be decked out in the Genji gear and some Final Fantasy weaponry (replicas of course) courtesy of his sensei in addition to the skills and jutsu he already has, just no Curse Mark of course.

Never the less, thanks for reading! I'll catch you all on the flip side!


	2. Facing Your Foe

A/N: Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...happy birthday to meeeeee-e, and another chapter for you! I won't waste too much of your time, I've probably pushed the bounds of your patience far enough as it is. So...first answering my reviewers, which shall this point on will be handled through PM's rather than make you sit there and stew through the months that it will likely take, and then onto the story!

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><p><strong>DragonMaster4381<strong>: I'm glad you thought it looked good, hopefully this chapter continues to entertain.

**Cyraxr**: Thanks for remembering me! Glad you enjoyed the humor so far and I hope my particular brand continues to amuse you. Hope you can overcome your own "funk" so to speak and can update soon as well!

**Dragon VS Phoenix**: I agree wholeheartedly with you about Naruto/Hinata being overused and the canon elements that everyone and _their dog_ being the thing that grates on my nerves the most. As such I'm going to try, key word being _try_ to do things differently in relation to not only this pairing, but others. As for Naruto/Sakura...well I'm willing to give her a chance if I expand the harem a bit but I'm afraid my dislike for the character leaves her in either a 'secondary' love interest position at best or a background character at worst (cause let's be honest...how likely is it that Tsunade would have agreed to train her if she wasn't associated with Naruto in the series?) I'm glad someone shares my thoughts on "overpowering" Naruto but to be quite honest I don't think it would be wise to cram _more_ into him (see the lists at the end for details) because to be quite frank...it's not a question of power it becomes a question of "how can I feature it all?"

**Demonkid**: Your idea sir (or madame) is a good one and to be honest until I read it I was kinda stumped on a _reason_ for Gilgamesh to pick him up other than just...randomly wandering around until he could fight Naruto. After some careful consideration (aka I haven't yet figured out how to feature him meaningfully in the plot) he probably won't be playing a major role but that remains to be seen.

**Leaf Ranger**: Leaf Ranger...THE Leaf Ranger? Hell yes! I can't believe I got your attention! It's been ages (or so it seems) since I've read your work. Glad to see your Demon Dragon Knight is still going strong. As for your additional harem suggestions...well I'm not sure _how_ I'd be able to work either Kin or Tayuya into this believably. I'd rather not use Gilgamesh as my cure-all to pesky plot problems, forcing him to pick up all the strays I want to shoe-in. I still have a lot of time to think about this of course and if you have any ideas about how to work either in I'd be happy to hear them.

**Kazuma-144**: Glad you think it's interesting but to answer your question...unfortunately no, Sage Mode will not feature prominently in this story. For starters, Naruto will not be signing the Toad Summoning Contract (instead gaining the ability to summon Eidolons) and thus wouldn't be likely to receive the training necessary. Instead I intend for Naruto to develop his own Trance state like Zidane, likely powered by the raging emotions of the Kyūbi and considering what Zidane (with his Dyne ability) and Kuja (unleashing his own brand of whoop-ass in the form of Ultima) could do...Sage Mode seems a little tame.

**Dragon Man 180**: The Seven Swords of the Mist will be high on Gilgamesh's list of goodies, but they will not be the only thing, after all "...Collector of Relics both great and small..." can cover a wide variety of things.

**Eion1231, Gravity The Wizard, Chewie Cookies, Lican, Azuredragon27, Hee-Ho Master, KHGiggle, DragonBlade00**: Glad you all liked it, hope it continues to please.

A special shout-out to **LonewolfBloodstorm**: I could just kiss you! Do you have any idea how heartening it is to find another member of our sadly small shipping minority? I can't make any promises just yet, but I have and will continue to give your suggestions some serious consideration.

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><p><strong>Fate and Fantasy<strong>

**Chapter 2: Facing Your Foe**

"I suppose there is little reason left to delay," the Shinigami declared with a sigh. "I expect it to be many years before our paths cross again, Sarutobi, Hatake."

With those words the room around them began to blur, starting from Naruto and spreading out to engulf the goddesses and their Chosen. The four men could feel themselves moving though they couldn't see anything through the distortions and ended up staggering slightly when they suddenly landed on solid ground and the world came back into focus.

"That brings back some _fun _memories," Zell groaned, clutching his head with a grimace.

Cloud looked a little queasy as well, the odd method of transportation aggravating his motion sickness, though Zidane and Edge didn't seem too bothered by it and were examining their new surroundings. They'd ended up in a rough hewn, damp stone hallway, minus the three goddesses that had brought them here, that looked more like one of the many caves they'd been forced to crawl through during their adventures than what they expected someone's mind to look like.

"So this is the brat's mind?" Edge muttered aloud. "I was expecting something..._more_."

_::We doubt your mind was little better when you were five years old, _Your Majesty_,:: _came a sarcastic, multi-tonal, retort that seemed to echo in the confined space, causing Edge and Zell to jump in surprise.

"Gah!" Zell shouted, looking around wildly for the source of the voice. "Don't _do _that!"

_::Our apologies,::_ the voice replied in a way that was anything but apologetic. _::A mortal's mind is shaped by what they experience during their life, growing more complex or breaking down as they grow older and face more challenges. We don't doubt that without our interference, Naruto's mind would become a broken, flooded ruin. The simple isolation he's suffered up till now has already left it's mark.::_

"That doesn't matter anymore," Cloud murmured. "We are here now and we can change this. We _will_ change this."

_::Yes, well said,::_ the voice remarked approvingly as the others nodded in agreement. _::But first you might wish to arm yourselves. Facing our Guardian without your weapons, while potentially amusing, is an exercise in stupidity.::_

"Weapons? I've got my weapons right here! These fists o'mine!" Zell exclaimed, snapping off a few quick punches before Edge smacked him upside the head.

"Stop trying to prove them right, moron!" He hissed as giggling echoed through their minds.

Zidane chuckled at the pair as they got in each others faces and actually began growling. He stepped forward to try and separate them and nearly tripped over a small pile of weapons, a couple of which were _very_ familiar.

"Hey, Zell! Catch!" He called out as he tossed a pair of reinforced crimson gloves to the blond teen who snatched them out of the air without breaking his little stare down with the former King of Eblan.

Cloud spared the pair an exasperated glance before he knelt down next to Zidane and began sifting through the pile of weapons, separating the various blades that made up his Fusion Sword from the rest and setting them aside.

A pair of mismatched daggers, one with a sharply curved crimson blade and intricate scrollwork extending from the hilt nearly to the tip and another that looked like it had been machine made rather than forged with a straight blade ending in a hooked tip, were snatched up by Zidane who twirled them expertly.

"I've missed these babies," he declared, sheathing them as Zell and Edge finally abandoned their staring contest, the young blond moving a few feet away to throw a few punches and kicks, limbering himself up for the upcoming battle.

The Ninja Prince grabbed a pair of over-large shuriken and hooked them to his belt so that they were positioned just right for him to draw and throw with ease. He stared down at a pair of ninjatō, one with a magnificent silvery blade with midnight blue cloth wrapped around the hilt and another with a soft golden blade with a forest green cloth wrapped around it's hilt, with a puzzled look in his eyes.

"What are these?" He asked aloud, picking them up and swinging them experimentally. "I've never seen them before."

_::They are sister swords, the Iga and Koga Blades,::_ the goddesses shared voice responded. _::There are too many variations of the Murasame and Masamune that you are familiar with across the Crystal Realms, some of them stronger and some weaker but the Iga and Koga are one of a kind throughout the realms and together are a force to be reckoned with.::_

Cloud frowned as he examined the twin blades, something about them seemed very familiar to him. Unbidden a hazy image rose up in his mind of a young blond armed and armored like a knight of old leading a small army of men and women against monstrous enemies. He tried to shake the vision away, recognizing it as a remnant of the odd dreams he'd had during his time immersed in the Lifestream, but it persisted and the young warrior was replaced by a tall figure clad in black from head to toe with only his eyes visible wielding the Iga and Koga Blades against several foes at once while similarly dressed men moved in to their unprotected backs.

"_Although,"_ Cloud mused, looking over his new companions. _"Considering I'm in another world entirely, soon to be fighting alongside heroes from other worlds like mine...that may have not been a dream after all."_

Edge had gone from examining the blades themselves, which had ornate scrollwork flowing halfway to the tips, to examining the hilts. "What up with the pommel here?"

_::We altered them slightly,::_ the goddesses admitted. _::They now join together with a small application of either chakra or mana to form one weapon and can be infused with with either energy.::_

"I don't know how to use a double-bladed sword though," Edge protested.

"But _I_ do," Zidane broke in. "May I?

Edge deposited the two swords into Zidane's waiting hands. With a resounding click the former thief combined the twin blades, twirling the assembled weapon with ease.

"Handles like a dream," Zidane opined with a face splitting grin, spinning the blades faster and making them almost sing as they cut through the air before breaking them apart with a flourish and presenting them back to Edge.

"So what's the plan for dealing with the Kyūbi?" He asked as he sheathed the blades on his back.

"We beat him up," Zell piped in.

His fellow heroes looked at him oddly for a second before sighing in unison.

"No, Zell, that is the _goal_," Zidane replied with a wry grin. "We need a _plan_ to achieve it. I think the better question is, what do we have to work with between us? Walking into a fight with such a powerful foe without knowing what your allies can do could be a bit...bothersome."

Zell chuckled sheepishly as he acknowledged the point. "Well I don't know how effective I'll be against something as large as the Kyūbi, we never had to face anything quite so large during our battles, but I learned how to channel any magic I can use through my body, without using the Guardian Forces, to enhance my strength and speed beyond what I could do with chakra."

As the other three watched an aura of green energy, which Cloud vaguely recognized as some version of the Ultima spell, built up around his clenched fists and spread throughout his body. Without warning the teen burst into motion, a lightning fast series of punches that they could barely see followed by several kicks that were, if anything, even faster before he blurred out of existence. Each felt a quick, almost simultaneous, tap on the back of their skulls, and Zell reappeared barely a second after the three men registered the fact that they'd been hit.

"That was pushing myself pretty close to my limit," Zell admitted, breathing somewhat heavily. "But considering I've crushed several feet of reinforced steel with my bare hands like that I'd say it's worth it."

Zidane gave a low whistle. "Damn, I feel sorry for the big bad that had to face you."

"I developed the technique after we'd already defeated the Sorceress, to help clear the monsters out of Esthar City," Zell explained with a laugh. "It would have been nice to have before though."

"I can imagine," Edge said. "I usually rely upon my elemental ninjutsu and my speed to launch hit and run attacks with my shuriken or swords, although I doubt I could hit hard enough with either of those to actually harm something of the Kyūbi's size."

"Will your...ninjutsu be powerful enough to effect the Kyūbi?" Cloud asked.

"I should hope so or this'll be the shortest battle I've ever been in," Edge replied with a shrug.

_::As long as you avoid using fire based attacks you should be fine. The Kyūbi is the closest thing to a god of fire this world has and would probably laugh at you if you tried.::_

"Maybe we should then," Zidane remarked with a smirk. "It might work to our favor if it takes the time to stop and laugh at us."

"You go ahead and try that then," Edge retorted dryly. "Just warn us, so that we can pick up the pieces when it's over."

"Guys, guys!" Zell broke in before Zidane could offer a response. "Can we hold off the pissing contest until later? We kinda have a job to do, ya know?"

"Sure I guess," Zidane agreed, before picking up where Edge left off slowly. "I don't really have a whole lot I can bring into this fight to be honest, at least in the beginning. I'm used to facing either humans, smaller monsters or enemies with weaknesses I could exploit and from what we've been shown the Kyūbi doesn't really have anything I can take advantage of."

"So you're saying you're going to be useless for this fight?" Edge asked bluntly.

"Oh no, I can contribute," Zidane hastened to explain, drawing out his curved dagger. "This is a modified Mage Masher, I had it made to absorb magic directly and transfer it to me after I saw our enemy use an Ultima spell to destroy a city, although it didn't really help much against that," he muttered with a grimace as he remembered Kuja's parting shot. "But if the Kyūbi uses mana in any of it's attacks I should be able to at least partially negate them."

_::All bijū use mana to power their elemental abilities and their Bijūdama attacks, although we don't recommend trying to completely absorb one of the Kyūbi's full powered ones, it could overload and shatter your weapon and we won't be able to replace it once you are in there,::_ the goddesses warned.

"Alright, save that for emergencies only then," Zidane conceded. "Regardless, I do have some really powerful attacks at my disposal but the problem is they require me to enter a Trance state to utilize them. Unfortunately I never learned how to enter Trance at will, if that's even possible. I never really needed it after defeating our last true enemy and monsters almost disappeared on our continent afterward."

"So you're going to be little more than a distraction until you can do this...Trance thing?" Zell asked.

"Afraid so, but if these Bijūdama attacks are even half as powerful as they make them out to be, absorbing just a fraction of one should give me enough energy to Trance and hit him with everything I've got."

"Well from the sounds of it I'm the only one who's faced anything so large and to be perfectly honest I've faced bigger," Cloud spoke up finally. "Although from what they showed us I've never faced something so agile before."

"You have something that'll help us tackle this beast then?" Edge asked curiously.

"Maybe," Cloud replied with a smirk as he skillfully manipulated his Fusion Swords until the completed blade rested comfortably upon his shoulder. He swept it down and across with amazing ease considering it's size and executed several strong and precise cuts with the mammoth weapon with just one hand before bringing it up over his head and grasping it with both, bringing it down in a blur but stopping dead just an inch above the floor.

"Now _that_, is a sword," Zell remarked with no small amount of awe.

"Yes, it is," Cloud agreed as he brought it back up to his shoulder. "And the first one of you that even breathes the word 'compensation', or any variation thereof, will be force fed a pommel or six."

"Such thoughts never crossed my mind," Zidane chirped cheerily, though Zell and Edge's chuckles carried a hint of nervousness.

"I'm sure," Cloud drawled. "Regardless I'm fairly certain I can cut through the Kyūbi's hide or, if not, at least bludgeon him hard enough to make a lasting impression. If that fails I can still call upon some fairly powerful magic although I'm assuming summoning isn't going to work while we're in here."

_::Unfortunately you are correct. It will take them some time to establish themselves and a stable gateway between the summon realms and this world so we are afraid you will have to do without for this battle.::_

"Not like it's the first time," Cloud muttered with a tired sigh. "So which way to the Kyūbi?"

_::All paths will lead to the Kyūbi eventually, you just have to _want_ to find him.::_

"Oh is that all it takes?" Edge muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Why can't it always be that easy?"

"Well if it was always that easy," Zell said, clapping Edge on the shoulder as Cloud and Zidane moved off down the tunnel. "Then it would kind of take the challenge out of life wouldn't it?"

"Challenge?" Edge muttered as the third hero moved to follow the others. "Idiot blonds," he finished with a sigh, jogging to catch up to them.

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><p>Sarutobi had to struggle to keep the grin off his face as he observed the Council gathered before him. It had taken him so much time to prepare, between assuring that all the documentation was in order and discussing contingencies with Gilgamesh and Kakashi, that it was near midnight before they could finally get the meeting under way and many of the councilors, the civilian ones at least, looked somewhat frazzled and irritable.<p>

"_And they'll be even worse after all is said and done,"_ Sarutobi mused with a mental cackle. _"Serves the lazy bastards right, thinking they can drown me in their paperwork! I wish I could see the fool's faces if they ever learned the intricacies of Kage Bunshin!"_

He glanced around again, making note of who had yet to arrive. A couple of civilians were still missing, either dragging their feet at the late hour or simply brushing the summons off as unimportant. They would be regretting it come tomorrow. Of the various ninja clan heads only Hyūga Hiashi was absent, but his brother Hizashi had arrived in his place and quietly informed Sarutobi that Hiashi was attending the birth of his second child and would be along shortly.

The only other individual missing was his old comrade Shimura Danzō, former commander of Ne and currently an Elder on the Council. It wasn't like his old friend to shirk his duties lightly and he couldn't help but wonder what could be serious enough to cause his tardiness. As if summoned by those thoughts, the doors opened and Danzō swept in with the late civilians in tow.

Sarutobi frowned as he watched his former rival take a seat next to Homura and Koharu. There was something off about the man and if he had to find a word to describe it, Sarutobi would have to say that he seemed..._smug. _Which was far out of character for the normally stoic and unemotional Elder, who had made it a personal crusade of sorts to stamp out the emotions of his Ne recruits, believing them to be an unnecessary distraction.

"I now call this Council session to order," Sarutobi intoned, putting his observations aside for the moment to focus on the task at hand. "If someone would be so kind as to wake Shikaku-san, we can begin."

As one of his grinning friends shook the lazy Nara awake another councilor leveled a glare at the elderly Hokage. "So what exactly was so important that we had to attend an emergency meeting at one in the morning?" The man grumbled. "And who the hell is that?"

The man's irritated gesture was directed at the casually reclining form of Gilgamesh seated at Sarutobi's right looking, other than his gray skin, like a normal human. It had been something of a surprise to enter his office to find the gray skinned man sitting in his chair garbed in a set of blood red armor that vaguely resembled samurai armor, albeit covered in a myriad of gaudy additions and still wearing those ridiculous red spotted pants underneath it all, and only sporting two arms instead of six.

The eccentric agent of the goddesses stretched languidly, taking stock of the various reactions to his presence, before sitting up and clasping his hands on the table before him. "I am the Seeker of Blades and Collector of Relics both great and small. A Wanderer of the World and Swordsman Supreme," he declared, though far less enthusiastically than earlier. "You can call me...Gilgamesh."

Marking the various expressions of confusion and suspicion with some amusement, Sarutobi decided to move forward with the little drama they'd planned out. "Gilgamesh-san is here on...official business on behalf of his mistress. Business that unfortunately involves one of our own."

The mood in the room instantly became much more focused, many of the councilors wondering just what could be serious enough for such an obvious outsider to be involved in their affairs. Seeing that he had their undivided attention, Sarutobi continued.

"Earlier tonight a group of men were let into the orphanage near the South Gate and allowed to set fire to a room on the second floor. If it weren't for an ANBU patrol returning from a border mission it's occupant would have died."

"You say they were _let_ in Hokage-sama?" Shikaku asked with a frown.

"Yes, by the Matron of the orphanage herself," Sarutobi confirmed. "She, two of her staff and the six men responsible for the fire are currently being detained in the T&I Division's holding cells awaiting a session with Ibiki."

Shocked murmurs swept through the room. "You left them to Ibiki, Hiruzen?" Elder Homura asked, wide eyed. "A simple case of arson is hardly enough to warrant his attention."

The Hokage leveled a hard stare at his old teammate. "It is when the victim is Uzumaki Naruto," he replied coolly.

That bit of information brought the murmurs to an abrupt halt and many of the councilors tensed. Naruto, and his fate, was an object of much debate for them, even five years after the attack. The calls for his death had, for the most part, died away before he'd reached his first birthday though occasionally one of the more bolder civilians would bring the topic up during other discussions, egged on no doubt by one of the more insistent clans trying to force his placement with them.

That too was something Sarutobi had fought hard against. He didn't doubt that some of them held honest reasons for wanting to raise Naruto, but even they wouldn't be able to resist holding the fact that it was _they_ who had raised and trained the Kyūbi jinchūriki over their rivals. As the Hokage, Sarutobi had to tread carefully at times with the clans and play to their politics regardless of his own standing in the village since they made up a little more than a third of Konoha's military might.

"I find it hard to believe that Michi would willingly allow someone to harm a child in her care even if it is _him_," Koharu spoke up. "Are you certain they were acting of their own free will?"

"That was one of the first things I had checked," Sarutobi responded with a nod. "There were no signs of drugs in their systems or genjutsu in their chakra networks. They were acting on their own with a clear and deadly purpose."

"That is..." Shikaku murmured, his frown deepening. "Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe it."

One of the wealthier merchants snorted derisively. "I'm surprised it took this long for someone to gather the nerve."

"You can try not sounding so satisfied about it," Inuzuka Tsume growled at the man before turning back to Sarutobi. "Is the boy alright, Hokage-sama?"

"Naruto is quite alright, despite his injuries, Tsume-san," Sarutobi assured her with a small smile. "His wounds, while extensive, are on the mend and I left him sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed with two ANBU to watch over him."

"That still doesn't answer the question, Hokage-sama," Danzo murmured. "If the boy is going to be fine and his attackers being dealt with, why are we here? Why is this...Gilgamesh here?"

"Let us just say that the attack tonight...opened my eyes," Sarutobi responded with a weary sigh. "Or rather, they were opened for me. I've been somewhat...remiss in my duties towards Naruto, allowing my own insecurities to jeopardize his safety when in truth he should be the safest amongst us."

The reactions were, in Sarutobi's mind, priceless. Surprise and confusion were once again the predominant emotions showing, with some looking decidedly uncomfortable at his open and frank admission of weakness. What caught his attention though was the ghost of a pleased smile that flitted across Danzō's face. It would have gone unnoticed by almost anyone else, but Sarutobi's long association with the fiercely patriotic man did have some benefits. A shadow of a suspicion rose up in his mind but Sarutobi brushed it off considering he had no proof, at least not yet. Once the prisoners locked up in the T&I Division could spend a little 'quality time' with Ibiki he didn't doubt that they would give some of the answers he needed.

Back to the matter at hand though he decided they'd danced around the issue long enough. "As I stated earlier Gilgamesh is here at his mistress' behest. She has been keeping a close eye on Naruto almost since the moment he was born and has not been impressed in the least by his treatment thus far, to say nothing of her reaction to the attack tonight."

"_And what a reaction it was,"_ he thought to himself.

As expected that knowledge did not sit well with some of the Council. "What right does some outsider have meddling in Konoha's affairs?"

"My mistress," Gilgamesh growled, leaning forward. "Has every right when it concerns young Naruto. He carries her mark and it is through her power that you ungrateful simpletons were saved from the Kyūbi five years ago."

"What nonsense is this?" Akimichi Chōza rumbled over the exclamations of denial from his fellow councilors. "The Yondaime is the one who sealed the Kyūbi into Naruto when it attacked us, there was no one else involved."

"Is that so?" Gilgamesh responded archly. "Is that what you've been teaching since that day? That your precious Yondaime was the _only _one involved in the Kyūbi's defeat?"

He sighed theatrically at the dumbfounded looks being leveled at him from so many directions, but Gilgamesh marked closely the few people that were beginning to connect the dots between his and Sarutobi's comments. As they'd predicted Shikaku was the first to come to the correct conclusion, even if he didn't believe it.

"That's not possible," he breathed, eyes flicking questioningly between the two men.

"Is that so?" Gilgamesh echoed his earlier response, with a hefty helping of sarcasm for good measure. "If it was not possible, then your village would be nothing more than a ruined shell of what it is today, assuming enough of you survived to pick up the pieces."

He matched them all glare for glare before continuing. "Your Yondaime was a great man, it's true, and a genius unmatched in nearly a century, also true considering how close some of his projects came to crossing the line beyond mortal ken, but caught unawares and unprepared there was _nothing_ he could have whipped up to tackle the second most powerful guardian your world boasts. You should be grateful your Nidaime drew up that contract with my mistress so long ago to counter his Edo Tensei technique or you would have been utterly defenseless against the Kyūbi's assault."

"To be an agent of the Shinigami is a rather bold claim to make, Gilgamesh-san," Uchiha Fugaku remarked coolly, eliciting gasps of shock from those who hadn't yet made the connection. "Do you have any proof to support it?"

"Beyond my mere presence? No I suppose not, but I do not have to prove myself to you, or anyone else for that matter." Gilgamesh retorted. "Before the night is through my mistress' will shall be fulfilled, Naruto shall be safe and the Kyūbi will be free from the corruption that holds him."

Pandemonium greeted his proclamation as nearly half of the Council began to panic having only really registered the words "the Kyūbi will be free", completely ignoring the last half. As the shouting grew in volume Sarutobi absently dug a finger into his ear with a grimace, his senses may have dulled somewhat with his age but they were still far sharper than any normal person's. He rather pitied Tsume and her Inuzuka senses, having to sit right in the middle of it all.

Eventually one man managed to make himself heard, a rather chubby and self important importer of luxury commodities that held considerable sway amongst his fellow merchants. "This is madness! We cannot allow the demon to be freed!" He shouted, to many answering agreements and some muttered solutions to the "problem". He continued, heedless of the glares being leveled at him from several quarters. "We must stop this! We must-"

"You must do _nothing_!" Gilgamesh roared suddenly, slamming his hands on the table so hard that it nearly cracked in two. He stood slowly and deliberately and seemed to swell in anger before their very eyes. It wasn't until a second pair of arms began growing out of his shoulders that they realized he _was_ growing. "You and the rest of this pathetic village barely deserve the protection my mistress has granted you!" As he transformed further so too did his armor, separating at key points to accommodate his still growing frame and a third set of arms while the originally gaudy additions molded together to form greaves that covered his red spotted pants. "You fools were _this _close to dooming everything you know to a fate worse than death!"

When Gilgamesh finally stopped changing he towered above them all, the tassel and horns on his helmet brushing the twelve foot high ceiling of the chamber, three sets of arms crossed before him and a fourth still planted on the table as he seemed to radiate pure _power_ in a way that many mistook for killing intent though the few that had seen or faced Kage level opponents recognized his impressive display for what it was. "If it weren't for the fact Naruto would be forced to suffer your _tender _mercies I would be petitioning my mistress to let you all rot in the grave you've started to dig for yourselves!"

Sarutobi reached out and laid a calming hand on one of Gilgamesh's after letting him bombard them with his aura for nearly a minute. "I think you've made your point, Gilgamesh-san," he said quietly.

Gilgamesh huffed irritably and favored the councilors and elders with a heated glare before shrinking rapidly back to his human sized form, throwing himself back into his seat with his arms crossed almost petulantly and staring off into an unoccupied corner of the room.

Sarutobi spared his apparently bipolar accomplice a quick glance. "Yes it is a rather fantastical claim to make," he admitted. "But it was, as I said earlier, a rather eye opening experience."

He allowed that to sink in for a moment before continuing. "I was granted a short look into Naruto's possible future and while I won't go into detail, what I saw was disheartening. The Shinigami suggested , and I agreed, that steps must be taken to ensure his safety both now and in the future," he paused to let the councilors digest that tidbit. "One of those steps involved speeding up the process of purifying the Kyūbi of it's corruption via the seal, thereby removing one obstacle from his path. Another was to to find a suitable teacher and guardian, to ensure that Naruto's talents will not go to waste."

That brought their attention back to Gilgamesh, who steadily ignored them for all of five seconds before grumbling quietly to himself and glaring. "Yes I am going to be watching over him," Gilgamesh growled finally. "But! That does not mean I'm going to do your damn jobs for you! I have more important things to do than be _your_ errand boy. If you can't do your duty _then_ I shall intervene and not a moment sooner."

"Now wait just a damn minute!" One of the braver councilors spoke up. "What do you mean _our_ duty? Why is it our problem what happens to the brat as long as he stays loyal?"

For a moment it looked like Gilgamesh was going to explode into another tirade but Sarutobi managed to cut him off before he could begin. "That attitude is largely my fault," he said with a weary sigh.

Ignoring the look that practically screamed "You think!" from Gilgamesh, Sarutobi calmly withdrew several of the scrolls that had been locked away in his private safe and the wills that Kakashi had retrieved for him earlier, arranging them in order of importance on the table before him. Lastly he pulled out the vial of Naruto's blood that Yami had drawn earlier that night.

"As I said earlier, it was my own indecision and weakness that allowed the situation regarding Naruto to deteriorate this badly. What I have gathered here are several important documents pertaining to Naruto...and his heritage."

He didn't give the councilors time to wonder what he meant, rather the elderly Hokage picked up Kushina's will for their inspection. "This is the will of Uzumaki Kushina, last of the Uzumaki clan that once hailed from Uzu no Kuni and a powerful kunoichi in the service of Konohagakure. As you can see it is sealed by one of our village's patented blood seals."

Sarutobi grasped the vial of blood tightly in his hand and removed the stopper. "This is a vial of blood drawn from Uzumaki Naruto earlier tonight."

Without preamble Sarutobi poured a drop of blood directly onto the wax the seal was engraved into. It flashed briefly before the wax was burned away, allowing the will to be opened and read. Rather than doing so, Sarutobi set it back down but held onto the vial and reached for the second will. Before he could grab it one of his former teammates spoke up.

"So Naruto is the son of Uzumaki Kushina then?" Elder Koharu asked. "What does that matter? She may have been an exceptional kunoichi and the last of her clan but the Uzumaki never really held much importance in Konoha."

"Perhaps not," Sarutobi acceded. "But his father on the other hand..."

With a small but decidedly vindictive smile he snatched up the second will and poured a drop of blood on the seal. It too flashed before burning away, allowing Sarutobi to open it with a flourish and begin reading the first few lines.

"I Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure, being declared of sound mind and body do hereby record my last will and testament-" but before he could go any further the entire chamber erupted into surprised and outraged shouting.

As the pandemonium raged on, unimpeded by the elderly Hokage who was trying hard to hide his satisfaction, Gilgamesh's giggling went unheard in the cacophony of voices. This might not be the _most_ fun he'd had in a while but it certainly ranked up there.

"_I wonder if the boys are having as good a time as we are?"_ He wondered idly.

* * *

><p>The four former heroes were tense as they made their way through the rough hewn corridors of Naruto's mind. Every so often the sound of dripping water would reach them, accompanied by the sound of someone, Naruto they assumed since it <em>was<em> his mind, sniffling quietly.

At first they'd tried to find him but their efforts were in vain, every time they tried to follow the sniffling the hallway would suddenly narrow so much that they could barely fit their arms past the elbow through them. Eventually they gave it up as a bad job and continued on, confident that the boy would come to them soon enough, drawn by the pitched battle about to ensue if nothing else.

They weren't sure just how much time passed as they walked down the narrow, featureless, corridor but it felt like an hour, perhaps slightly longer, that they traveled in silence.

"Are we there yet?" Or in relative silence at least.

"Why do you keep asking that?" Edge hissed at the younger blond mercenary. "You have eyes don't you? Considering we haven't seen anything other than rough stone walls for the past however long it's been it should be obvious if we got _somewhere_."

"No need to snap at me," Zell huffed childishly. "I'm all the way at the back! I can't see as well as you can."

"I'm third from the front you imbecile!" Edge growled back. "I can hardly see any more than you can!"

"But you'll still know if we get there first," Zell reasoned.

"Idiot blonds..." the Ninja Prince muttered disgustedly, throwing his hands up into the air.

Zidane, who had ignored them till up till this point, turned with a smirk for the irritated ninja. "On behalf of all the rest of my fellow blonds, I must take offense to that remark, Your Majesty."

"Bite me," came the eloquent retort.

Zidane and Zell shared a quick grin as the former king continued to grumble quietly about "giving up a peaceful afterlife for this" and other things they couldn't quite make out but were undoubtedly uncomplimentary in general.

Eventually Edge quieted and they continued onward in silence once again. Zidane however continued to grin. He may have not known them for very long, but he was pretty sure that Zell wasn't the type to let a tense silence go on when it could so easily be filled and sure enough...

"Are we there yet?"

With an inarticulate cry Edge rounded on the younger hero, intent on throttling him, but was stopped short of wrapping his hands around Zell's throat by the sound of Cloud's voice echoing quietly back to them.

"I think we are."

The Ninja Prince and former SeeD mercenary both paused and peered ahead into the gloom. Sure enough, no more than thirty feet away the narrow corridor grew noticeably wider and the area beyond seemed brighter. Giving the tattooed blond one last glare Edge turned to follow the other two as they moved into the cavernous area ahead.

As the quartet advanced the source of the increased light became apparent, a cool comforting luminescence emanating from a small slip of paper with markings none of the four recognized set in the center of a massive gate.

The starkly contrasting shadows just beyond the great gate however, were anything _but_ comforting.

The four heroes shared a brief look, Zidane's seemingly omnipresent and confident grin firmly in place as he looked between them. "Shall we get the first act under way, gentlemen?"

With a determined nod the four heroes made their way through the large gaps between the bars and advanced into the gloom with weapons held ready and, in Zell and Cloud's case, spells dancing at their fingertips prepared for a full out assault as soon as they crossed the divide but the expected attack never came.

Sharing another look, they tightened their grips on their weapons and stepped cautiously into the gloom, Zell taking the time to cast every protective and enhancing spell he knew on them. They breathed a little easier as the familiar tingling of Haste spread through their limbs and the comforting feeling of Protect and Shell settled about them. A light golden aura settled on their skins briefly that the other three didn't recognize, but when it sank through their skin they felt a sudden rush of energy fill them.

"No Reflect," he murmured to the others. "I have a feeling we're going to need some magical healing soon enough."

They nodded their agreement. "Doubt it's powerful enough to counter anything the Kyūbi could throw at us anyway," Cloud added.

They'd lost sight of the massive gate minutes ago and what light there was faded shortly after, forcing Zell and Cloud to conjure up flames to light the way, even if it was a dead give away for their position. Despite the rather tempting target they no doubt made, the Kyūbi stubbornly refused to take the bait dangled before it.

"What the hell is it waiting for?" Edge growled finally. "A royal invitation?"

"Well if it is then you shouldn't keep it waiting, Your Majesty," Zidane remarked cheekily to the seething ninja. "Still, methinks that our large furry friend's appreciation for drama and suspense needs to be cut down a bit."

A tremor shook the ground beneath their feet on the heel of his words, followed closely by a second and it didn't take any stretch of their imagination to connect them to footsteps, monstrous footsteps. A faint red haze enveloped them and it grew noticeably warmer as the earth shaking steps came closer. They finally caught a glimpse of their foe when a massive pair of eyes opened in the distance, iris' a bloody red and pitch black, slitted pupils glaring at them from the darkness. A great toothy maw grinned maliciously at them as it stopped and suddenly the shadows were banished with a bone shaking roar and an explosion of pure energy, revealing the Kyūbi in all it's glory.

It towered over them, maybe a hundred feet tall at the shoulders and it's tails swaying menacingly behind it, nearly twice that length. The Kyūbi narrowed it's black rimmed eyes at them, examining them and sizing them up with an intelligence they weren't expecting, considering the overwhelming rage they could feel rolling off it in waves. It's paws, resembling massive clawed hands more than actual fox paws, dug trenches into the ground deep enough to swallow them all whole,and fiery red fur bristled as it's muscles tensed, preparing to pounce on the four heroes.

"Ramuh preserve us," Edge whispered in shock.

Zidane's weak laughter answered him. "I doubt the Old Man can help us now."

With another blood curdling roar, the Kyūbi launched itself at the stunned heroes.

* * *

><p>AN: And there it is! Sorry about the cliff hanger there...but it was either end it there or continue on with an "epic" battle between the heroes and Kyūbi that would have pushed back the release date probably another month or so and I can't, in good conscience do that to you all considering how popular this seems to be (compared to past works of mine at least) I hope my description of the Kyūbi didn't fall flat. For the life of me I couldn't find any specific measurements for it other than a note that it was comparable in size to the Hokage Monument at least, and without measurements for _that_ I looked at a couple of pictures and guesstimated.

I honestly can't wait to get to the actual fight though...the other three might be slightly intimidated by it's size but Cloud wouldn't, he _has_ faced at least one opponent larger, by a sizable degree, in the form of Diamond WEAPON. Don't believe me? Ignore for a moment the battle sprite you face in the game and think about it: After some searching I discovered that Midgar is 50m from the ground to the plate, that's 150 feet easily, the plate itself has to be fairly thick to support a damn city...so maybe add another 50 feet to that. Now...Shinra Tower is 70 floors, that's likely 70 stories or around 700 feet tall give or take if they use the same building measurements as us. Shinra attached the Sister Ray Mako Cannon to the tower itself and looked as though it occupied a spot about halfway up the tower, so that's approximately 350 feet. When they fired the cannon, the beam traveled in a straight line and struck Diamond WEAPON DEAD CENTER in the chest. That means it's chest was somewhere around 550 feet from the ground and considering it's MASSIVE shoulders I'd have to guess that it measured up to something close to 600 feet tall. Mind you this is mostly conjecture since I couldn't find any real evidence to support it but still...those idiots attacked it ON FOOT.

...See what kind of things I get up too when I'm stuck on my story?

A note for the future, a friend of mine recently told me he'd buy me Suikoden 3 for my birthday, the last game I need to complete my collection and I swore to myself that as soon as I got the copy in my hands I would sit down and play the whole series from start to finish so I make no promises on any future updates. I do promise that I won't let Suikoden monopolize my time completely however so the third chapter isn't just going to sit here neglected, have no fear.

Furthermore...be on the lookout in the future for some "previews" of sorts for other challenges that I might take up. I've been slowly filling a document with challenges that I thought looked interesting and might start using the time that I just sit here stumped on writing Fate and Fantasy to good use (I swear...for every two hours I sat here on most days, maybe 20-30 minutes of it was spent actually writing, at least on a good day. The rest was proofreading and agonizing over wording and plot direction) Speaking of challenges, I've posted two on my profile, one a Code Geass crossover challenge...hey, what can I say? It's been my current obsession for the past few months and the other a Time Travel Naruto challenge. There's part of a third there as well but it's not complete yet so...give it a little time.

One last thing, **DragonMaster4381** has a pretty comprehensive list of magic and summons as well as bijū (the true bijū even, not the anime versions with two additions of his own. If you want some information on them, try www (.) inukoproject (.) com (and I swear to Damon if you enter it like that and have the gall to complain to me when it doesn't work...) they have some of the history of the bijū listed there) but I tweaked them a bit to suit my vision and I've decided to post it here to give you all an idea of what you might see.

**List of Bijū**

Renbi no Kamen Namekuji – No Tailed Masked Slug (Light/Healing Element)

Ichibi no Tanuki Shukaku – One Tailed Raccoon Dog (Wind Elements)

Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Monster Cat (Darkness Element)

Sanbi no Isonade – Three Tailed Shark (Water Element)

Yonbi no Sokō – Four Tailed Cockatrice (Poisons and Venoms)

Gobi no Hōkō – Five Tailed Wolf (Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, Lightning Elements)

Rokubi no Raijū – Six Tailed Weasel (Lightning Element)

Shichibi no Kaku – Seven Tailed Badger (Earth Element)

Hachibi no Orochi aka Yamata no Orochi – Eight Tailed/Headed Snake Devil (Evil said to be the Devil itself)

Kyūbi no Kitsune – Nine Tailed Fox Demon (Fire Element)

Jūbi no Ryujin – Ten Tailed/Winged Dragon God (Divine Creature said to control all elements)

**Black Magic**

Fire – Fire/Fira/Firaga

Ice – Blizzard/Blizzara/Blizzaga

Water – Water/Watera/Wateraga

Lightning – Thunder/Thundara/Thundaga

Wind – Aero/Aerora/Aeroga

Earth – Quake/Quakra/Quaga

Void – Gravity/Gravira/Graviga

Dark – Dark/Darkra/Darkga

Poison – Bio/Biora/Bioga

Non-elemental – Flare/Comet/Ultima

**White Magic**

Cure/Cura/Curaga

Regen

Esuna

Libra(Scan)

Haste/Hastega

Slow/Slowga

Stop/Stopga

Sleep/Sleepga

Protect/Protectga

Shell/Shellga

Reflect/Reflectga

Dispel/Dispelga

Vanish(Invisible)

Blink(Mirage)

Aura

Holy – Dia/Diara/Diaga

**Lesser Eidolons**

Valefor "The Wings of Light" - Wind

Ixion "The Storm Runner" - Lightning

Hades "The Infernal Alchemist" - Poison

Lakshmi "The Alluring Light"

Midgardsormr "The World Serpent" - Earth

Phantom "The Fading Memory"

Diablos "The Demon Messenger" - Dark

Seraphim "The Angelic Messenger" - Holy

Kujata "Nature's Fury" - Fire/Ice/Lightning/Earth

Palidor "The Rainbow Wing" - Wind

Kirin "The Omen of Serenity"

Catoplepas "The Eye of Evil" - Poison

Madeen "The Great Mother" - Holy

Maduin "The Watchful Father" - Dark

Siren "The Haunting Melody" - Water

Phoenix "The Eternal Flame" - Fire

Carbuncle "The Ruby Guardian"

Golem "The Vigilant Bulwark"

Sylph "The Elusive Fey" - Wind

Mist Dragon "The Hidden Watcher" - Water

Fenrir "Herald of the Blood Moon" - Wind/Earth

Yojimbo "The Wandering Blade"

Asura "The Gatekeeper"

Atomos "The Great Gate" - Void

Zodiark "Keeper of Precepts"

**Knights of the Round** (the names they have are names of actual Knights of the Round, no particular thought went into choosing them however)

Elyan the White (Ice) and Safir "The Queen's Blades"

Bedivere and Kay (Fire) "The Inferno's Fury"

Galahad (Lightning) and Palamedes "The Justiciar's Will"

Tristan and Percival (Earth) "The Earthreaver's Gaze"

Lionel (Water) and Lucan "Leviathan's Fangs"

Gawain and Lancelot "Odin's Arms"

King Arthur "The Father's Voice"

**Elder Eidolons**

Shiva "The Ice Queen" - Ice

Ifrit "The Inferno" - Fire

Ramuh "The Elder Justiciar" - Lightning

Titan "The Earthreaver" - Earth

Leviathan "Lord of All Waters" - Water

Odin "The Reaver" - Unaligned

Bahamut "The Hallowed Father" - Wind


	3. Conflict and Conspiracy

**Fate and Fantasy**

**Chapter 3: Conflict and Conspiracy**

The Kyūbi's sudden lunge very nearly caught the four heroes flat footed, it's speed unbelievable for something so large. However fast it was though, Cloud proved to be the faster, building up and loosing a mighty blast of lightning almost quicker than they could blink that struck the gigantic fox dead on the nose.

It reared back roaring in pain, giving the heroes the time they needed to scatter or, in Cloud's case, take the initiative and press the attack. A massive crescent of energy led the way slamming into the Kyūbi's already wounded but quickly mending nose, forcing it back even further. Cloud was right behind it, sword drawn back to deliver a heavy blow right between the Kyūbi's eyes but was forced to abandon his attack in mid swing to block a swiftly moving tail that struck with enough force to send him tumbling head over heels through the air.

A second and third tail shot down from above and Cloud was barely able to bring his sword around in time to intercept them, the strength behind the dual strike enough to make his arms go numb and propel him downwards on a collision course with the ground. Cloud grit his teeth and steeled himself for the inevitable impact but a highly concentrated blast of water struck both tails, jarring them and interrupting their momentum.

A bluish blur flashed past and a gloved hand latched onto the harness on Cloud's back pulling him out from under the tails as they continued down to slam into the ground, shaking the entire chamber. He managed to land on his feet, skidding slightly before he regained his balance.

"You alright there, Cloud?"

Cloud glanced over his shoulder to find that it was Zidane that had pulled him away. "Yes, thanks."

"Told you I wasn't going to be completely useless," Zidane boasted with a quick laugh. "Next time though, just cause you can attack it head on doesn't mean yo–look out!"

The two heroes dodged as yet another tail slammed down between them, kicking up dust and debris from where it shattered the ground beneath it. Zidane leapt forward, daggers drawn, and dug Orichalcum deep into the flesh eliciting another pained roar as the tail jerked back up into the air, taking the tailed thief along for the ride.

Cloud watched for a moment as Zidane used the momentum to land somewhere on the Kyūbi's massive back before Cloud lost sight of him. Hefting his blade, Cloud gave a loud war cry and leapt back into the battle.

On the opposite side Zell was beginning to get frustrated, his every attempt at getting close to the Kyūbi thwarted by the coordinated assault of several tails. His own, unenhanced, speed and agility were more than enough to keep just a step ahead of the attacking appendages but not enough to get him past them and to the main body.

Zell huffed irritably as he ducked under another tail swipe. He'd been hoping to conserve his magic for emergency healing or a single super powered attack but at the rate this was going that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon. He leapt higher than was necessary over another tail, leaving himself apparently vulnerable as others closed swiftly in to crush the SeeD mercenary in midair. A visible aura of energy manifested around Zell for a split second before it, and he, vanished altogether with a crack of displaced air leaving the tails to slam uselessly against one another.

Barely a second later the Kyūbi skidded sideways as Zell reappeared with his fist buried in it's flank. Another burst of energy heralded his disappearance as it spun and snapped it's jaws shut where he'd been. A sickening crack echoed throughout the dark chamber when he struck a bone shattering blow to the Kyūbi's right leg, sending it crashing to the ground.

Cloud capitalized on the moment of vulnerability, leaping high up in the air and bringing his sword down hard on the Kyūbi's neck, cutting deep into the flesh and muscle there and a bolt of lightning courtesy of Edge struck directly between it's eyes, blinding it and leaving a scorch mark on the fur there.

Before they could continue to press their advantage, the Kyūbi decided it was high time to demonstrate why it was considered the second most powerful being in Elementia. With another roar, one that put it's earlier one to shame, it surged back to it's feet with a pulse of pure energy that blasted both former mercenaries away, burning them badly in the process and flinging them off into the darkness.

Edge, who had been at the height of a leap to unleash his last attack suddenly found himself pressed in and held by a pair of tails with enough force that he felt his ribs cracking, staring the great beast down as it opened it's jaws wide. For a moment Edge thought he was about to become a bijū snack before a black ball of energy coalesced and grew between them. His eyes widened in shock as he struggled in vain to free himself from the rib crushing grip.

His salvation came in the glint of metal, a dagger with a barely noticeable wire attached to the hilt, that looped over and around the Kyūbi's snout where Zidane caught it right out of the air and hurtled toward the ground, snapping the great jaws shut with his momentum and interrupting the deadly attack before it could be completed.

Seeing his chance, Edge summoned all the power he could and released it in a concentrated burst of wind that broke the tails hold on him and blasted him away. Unfortunately he didn't have any control over his fall like this and he grimaced as more of those blasted tails pursued him.

"Heads up!" A voice shouted.

Edge glanced to the side and saw a blur of fast moving energy that he guessed was Zell hurtling towards him at high speeds. Instinctively he reached out an arm and braced himself for the shock, a dislocated shoulder a minor inconvenience compared to the alternative. He was rather surprised when the same aura enveloped him the moment Zell grasped his outstretched hand and he suddenly found himself matching the young mercenary's velocity with only a minor jolt.

He stumbled drunkenly when they finally stopped, the sheer speed more than he was accustomed too even when under the effects of Haste. After a moment to center himself he looked around to find himself a surprising distance from the Kyūbi, which was whirling in place trying to catch a miniscule figure darting around it's paws occasionally unleashing small bursts of fire and smoke, bombs he supposed, to annoy it.

Edge sucked in a deep breath when he felt healing magic spread throughout his body and heal his ribs followed by a couple of other spells he recognized, a renewed Haste spell and the pleasant tingle of Regen. He nodded his thanks to Zell who grinned wolfishly back at him.

"What a rush!" He said with a giddy laugh. "Been a long time since I could cut loose like this!"

Edge nodded in agreement. "Well you dragged me out here, how about getting me back to the action?" He drawled.

With another grin Zell crouched down in front of him with his hands clasped together low to the ground and allowed his magically charged aura to reappear. "First class trip to the fight of the century coming right up!"

"I like the way you think, kid," Edge said with a chuckle. He gathered his energy and rushed forward, allowing Zell to catapult him back into the battle.

Once he was off, Zell groaned quietly as he stretched his muscles. He wasn't lying when he'd said it had been a long time since he'd cut loose and using his special enhancements were putting some strain on his body despite the constant healing.

He shook off the aches and snapped a few punches off to limber up and summoned up Ultima, the strongest spell in his repertoire, and couldn't keep the almost wicked grin off his face as he felt it permeate and enhance his entire body, something they'd never managed to accomplish using the Guardian Forces.

"_Oh yeah, I've got something special just for you!"_ He thought maliciously, launching himself back into the fight.

Like Zell, Zidane was enjoying himself despite the seriousness of the situation they'd found themselves in. He'd missed the rush of a good battle after he and his friends had defeated Kuja, though he hadn't let his skills lapse thanks to frequent spars with Steiner and occasionally Beatrix. He'd also missed the thrill of adventuring despite his occasional 'expeditions' that had driven Garnet spare and earned him many stern lectures from the Captain of Knights of Pluto and the good General.

"_I did stop when our son was born though,"_ he mused as he tossed yet another of his patented smoke/shrapnel bombs straight into the Kyūbi's face. _"Though I doubt she appreciated me encouraging Martin to have his own adventures and tagging along when he was old enough, even if it did give her more time to spend with little Sarah."_

He reached out and grabbed a handful of fur on a passing tail, one chasing after Edge if he wasn't much mistaken, and allowed it to carry him up and away from the Kyūbi's snapping jaws but not before absently lobbing another bomb right down it's gullet for good measure.

"_They may not be particularly powerful," _he thought as he hurtled through the air. _"But damn that must sting!"_

At the height of his impromptu flight he flung his dagger up and guided it's looping arc over the tail with a wire trick that Baku had taught him during his time with Tantalus and caught it as it came around. He quickly tied the wire to his belt then let go and used one of the few bits of Genome magic Zidane had managed to learn from Mikoto, what she called 'Meta-Magic', to increase his weight and let gravity do the work for him, drawing the wire tight and dragging the massive tail down and away from the Ninja Prince as he released another powerful stream of water.

Though there was considerable force behind the attack it really didn't affect the Kyūbi beyond forcing it back some and soaking it completely, though that last was precisely what he was aiming for. Another blast of lightning, courtesy of Cloud, struck the Kyūbi in the back causing it to convulse wildly as the moisture amplified the attack.

"Try this on for size!" Zell's voice boomed from above as Zidane cut the wire free to avoid being flung around like a rag doll.

He looked up as he touched down to see Zell high above them with one fist cocked back and an aura of energy, similar to but different from his magical aura, surrounding it. With a shout of exertion Zell burst into motion, fist leading, and slammed into the Kyūbi with the force of a meteor.

Zidane actually paused to gape as the Kyūbi was almost folded in half, it's nose nearly touching the base of it's tails, from the strength of the blow but that proved to be rather unwise. Just like the last time they'd appeared to gain the upper hand the Kyūbi unleashed another burst of power, it's tails flailing dangerously and spawning whirling pillars of flame that quickly homed in on the four heroes.

Cloud spun his blade in several blindingly fast arcs, generating and countering with a powerful whirlwind that sucked up the towering flames and sent them crashing, ineffectually, against the Kyūbi's hide. Edge's counter was as simple as it was effective, unleashing yet another water ninjutsu to extinguish them as they drew close. Zell dealt with them in a way that just about anybody who knew him would expect, drawing on even more magic and dispersing them with lightning fast blows from his fists.

Zidane however found himself in a rather tight spot at the moment. The pillars weren't quite fast enough to catch him but he quickly found out that they did more than just spin and fly after him as he suddenly had to contend with a deluge of fireballs from three separate pillars. He ducked and dodged, flipped and spun with his Mage Masher flashing in blindingly fast arcs, carving through and absorbing the fireballs as fast as they came. There were just too damn many of them for the one dagger to be truly effective however and more than a few grazed him, scorching his clothes and leaving several seared patches of skin in their wake.

"_The Orichalcum is great and all," _Zidane thought sourly as he took a moment to survey the damage. _"But would it have killed them to give me another Masher?"_

There was a pause in the volley and Zidane took the moment to catch his breath and take stock of his situation. He paled considerably when he realized that the pillars, now five in number, had surrounded him.

"_Fuck me,"_ he thought, rationalizing his rare bout of vulgarity as all five unleashed another volley of fireballs that dwarfed the previous salvo by a considerable margin.

Zidane grit his teeth as he braced himself for the inevitable pain, regardless of the fact that he couldn't actually die here if the goddesses were to be believed. He remembered the agony of being struck down by Ultima, of _dying_ however temporarily it was, and he was not interested in experiencing it a second time.

Luck seemed to smile upon him yet again though as a shimmering barrier sprung into being around him, catching and deflecting the fireballs. It took him only a second for his brain to catch up with what was happening, someone having cast Reflect on him, and react. Using the same wire trick from before Zidane threw his Mage Masher at one of the pillars, absorbing the mana holding it together and causing it to collapse, before going into a quick spin that sent it scything through the other four, dispelling them as well.

The moment the dagger was back in his hand, slightly warm to the touch, and the energy transferred back to him Zidane was moving again, determined not to be caught off guard like that again. He watched from the edges of the ongoing battle as it continued to go back and forth, the Kyūbi's attacks becoming more powerful and vicious the more damage they managed to inflict.

"_This battle is only just getting started,"_ Zidane thought grimly. _"I hope we've got the staying power for when Kyūbi gets serious."_

* * *

><p>Sarutobi sat back in his chair, puffing contentedly on his pipe with a small smile on his face as he stared out into the night sky.<p>

"That was most satisfying," he said finally. "It's been years since I've seen the Council so flustered."

Gruff laughter answered him. "Yeah I imagine Minato was good at getting under their skin," Gilgamesh said as he reclined in his chair, having settled into his four armed form with one pair of arms crossed against his chest and the other pair behind his head.

"Worked them like a pro," Sarutobi replied with a chuckle. "Even when he was a child I swear he had half the council wrapped around his little finger and when he started dating Kushina...she started teaching him how to be _nasty_."

"Oh really?" Gilgamesh asked, rubbing his hands, all of them, together eagerly. "Oh I do so hope those traits are genetic. It'll be a fun way to pass the time watching him run them ragged until he's old enough for me to test him properly."

Sarutobi smiled softly. "We can only hope, this village will need the kind of drive those two had in the future."

Gilgamesh hummed thoughtfully in agreement before settling into a comfortable silence that unfortunately didn't last very long as the intercom on Sarutobi's desk buzzed suddenly.

"Hokage-sama," his secretary said. "Hyūga Hiashi is here to see you. He says it concerns the Council meeting earlier tonight."

The two men shared surprised stares, they figured the Hyūga Clan Head would have wanted the news straight from the source rather than settle for just his twin's account of tonight's events. What they hadn't expected was for him to come so soon.

Sarutobi leaned forward and pressed a button. "Send him in, Joruri."

The office doors swung open to admit the tired, but smiling, Hiashi. "Good evening, Hokage-sama," he said wearily. "I'm sorry for the late hour but it was imperative that I confirm my brother's words."

Sarutobi shared another look with Gilgamesh before motioning for the Hyūga leader to take the

seat next to the other worldly traveler. The man nodded gratefully and sat, sparing the multi-armed man next to him a curious glance before turning his attention back to the Hokage.

"I understand that congratulations are in order, Hiashi-san?"

Hiashi sighed heavily but smiled none-the-less. "Yes, Hinata now has a younger sister. Manami insisted on naming her Hanabi."

"It's a beautiful name," Gilgamesh offered.

"Yes, yes it is," Hiashi agreed. "It is for my daughter's sake that I'm here however so if we can skip over the pleasantries?"

Sarutobi nodded slowly and motioned for him to continue.

"Is what my brother said true?" Hiashi asked, the barest hint of urgency underlying the question. "Has an heir to the Namikaze clan been found?"

"Yes, that was the primary reason for the meeting," Sarutobi replied slowly, wondering what would make the normally composed leader of the Hyūga seemingly crack. "Young Naruto is indeed the last of the Namikaze. We very nearly lost him tonight, if it weren't for some outside intervention."

"_Could Minato have promised his firstborn?"_ Sarutobi wondered. _"I didn't think either he or Kushina approved of betrothal contracts."_

"Thank Kami for small mercies," Hiashi breathed in obvious relief.

"Should be thanking Yami actually," Gilgamesh told him humorously. "She's the one that was paying attention."

Hiashi blinked, completely nonplussed by the statement and stared at the four armed man, taking in his appearance apparently for the very first time. "And who are you?"

"You're brother didn't mention me?" Gilgamesh asked incredulously. "I'd have thought I would have warranted at least a passing mention, I'm-"

"His name is Gilgamesh," Sarutobi interjected quickly, much to Gilgamesh's annoyance.

Sarutobi didn't much care however, he had to put up with enough silly introductions from his loyal student, he'd rather limit the number of times he had to hear another. "He's a servant of sorts for the Shinigami."

"Actually I work for all three of them," Gilgamesh corrected.

Sarutobi and Hiashi blinked in confusion at that, though for entirely different reasons.

"I thought we decided _not_ to spread word around about that," Sarutobi asked curiously.

"All three of them?" Hiashi repeated slowly, still obviously confused.

"We did but I think for Hiashi here we can make an exception. The future...well let's just say that his and Naruto's meet at several important points and leave it at that."

"Our...futures?" Hiashi asked slowly, even more confused than before. He looked to the elderly Hokage as the leader of Konoha sighed in exasperation.

"Pay him no mind, Hiashi-san," Sarutobi advised, his tone a mixture of frustration and amusement. "He'll not give you a straight answer and you'll get a headache trying to coax one out of him. You said that you were here for your daughter's sake earlier?" He prompted.

Hiashi took a moment to center himself before he nodded. "Yes, yes I did. Before their untimely death, Minato, Kushina and I were working on something that would change...many things between the Hyūga and the Namikaze clans."

Sarutobi leaned forward seriously and gave voice to his first suspicion. "Did Minato sign a marriage contract between your two clans?"

Hiashi looked positively shocked that the Hokage would suggest such a thing. "No, nothing of the sort!" He exclaimed. "We learned our lesson the first, and last, time we talked it over in front of Kushina. I don't think I'll ever forget being strung up from the ceiling by her chakra chains beside the Hokage or the tongue lashing she gave us."

Gilgamesh positively roared with laughter while Sarutobi chuckled heartily as he remembered his own experiences with the fiery woman.

"Sounds like she was quite the handful," Gilgamesh remarked.

"She was like a force of nature," Sarutobi replied wistfully. "Minato was the only one who could keep up with her."

"Or match her skills," Hiashi added. "And it is those skills that were the focal point of our plans and agreement, more pointedly their skill in fūinjutsu."

It took Sarutobi only a second to draw the right conclusion. "They were working on an alternative to the Branch family's cursed seal for you weren't they?"

"Indeed they were," Hiashi confirmed with a nod. "We communicated mainly through summoned messengers and the like and I made sure that all evidence of our endeavor was destroyed. I know Minato kept a copy of everything as well as the notes on the new seal safely hidden away behind one of his more sophisticated blood seals but when the Kyūbi attacked..."

"You believed them both to be dead," Sarutobi finished. "And without knowledge of an heir to carry their blood you feared that all your plans were in vain."

"Precisely," Hiashi confirmed heavily. "Not even Jiraiya could help me when I approached him a few days before he left to oversee his spy network. He informed me that he didn't even know where to begin unraveling Minato and Kushina's fūinjutsu work, nor did he know any ways to circumvent it."

Sarutobi had to work at keeping the frown he was feeling from showing on his face. He wasn't entirely surprised that Jiraiya hadn't been forthcoming with the Hyūga Clan leader about Naruto's existence, it had been his idea in the first place to continue Minato and Kushina's deception concerning keeping their heir a secret. No what bothered him was the fact that Jiraiya had apparently neglected to mention the fact that Minato had such a serious project in the works after Sarutobi had ordered him to dig up whatever he could on his successor/predecessor and his plans.

The elderly Hokage didn't miss the pointed look that Gilgamesh shot him but he shrugged it off for the moment. They'd argued fiercely before the meeting about Jiraiya and his culpability in events as they'd played out so far, with Sarutobi steadfastly defending his last loyal student's actions against Gilgamesh's many but decidedly vague accusations.

"_Your student's loyalty is commendable, Hiruzen," _Gilgamesh had retorted at one point. _"But it is not his loyalty that is questionable, it is his decisions. Jiraiya's actions over the past thirty years have set up the stage for the worst threat Elementia has faced in thousands of years. If it weren't for our intervention the consequences of his machinations could have been felt for centuries, and not just in the Elemental Nations."_

Despite his words, a seed of doubt did trouble him. A seed that was just beginning to blossom with Hiashi's confession just now.

"_What else are you keeping from me Jiraiya?"_ Sarutobi wondered sadly.

He forced that line of thought to the back of his mind however. Hiashi and his issues with his clan were his primary focus at the moment, especially since Sarutobi could actually be of some use to the normally stoic man.

"Well with Naruto's heritage finally come to light we will be able to access the Namikaze compound in it's entirety at last," Sarutobi assured the man sitting before him. "And once we can get Naruto situated we can get through Minato's protections and hopefully find their work. With any luck _I_ might be able to complete it and if it proves to be beyond my capabilities then perhaps Jiraiya can be of some assistance."

"And if he can't?" Hiashi asked with an undertone of worry.

"Then we merely wait until Naruto can finish his parent's work," Gilgamesh said simply.

"You say that as though it's a forgone conclusion," Sarutobi commented.

"Because it is," Gilgamesh shot back. "When the goddesses promised to unlock his full potential they were not speaking idly. Naruto has the potential to surpass not only his parents but the best warriors this world has ever produced since the Sage himself, his four teachers will make sure he can grasp that potential and I will make sure he _lives_ to reach it."

"Speaking of Naruto," Hiashi said suddenly, deciding to change the direction of the conversation a bit. "My brother claimed you were somewhat vague when you mentioned he was injured, as though you were down playing just how badly hurt he was. It must have been more serious than you inferred if three goddesses saw fit to directly meddle in our affairs."

Sarutobi stared back, stone faced, at the Hyūga Head before he grimaced and sighed. "Leave it to a Hyūga to catch the small details," he finally said, somewhat ruefully.

"We're not sure what exactly but his attackers used some kind of accelerant, Gekidō oil the ANBU squad swore, to start the fire. I would have to dig deep in my jutsu repertoire to find something that could cause such widespread damage to a person," Sarutobi admitted heavily.

"Yami take them," Hiashi muttered in disgust. "There's no way that simple civilians could have gotten their hands on something as potent as Ryū Gekidō on their own though. Even high ranking shinobi have a hard time getting their hands on it thanks to the regulations Minato imposed, in fact the only way to get it now is by going through ANBU supply channels isn't it?"

"You are correct," Sarutobi told him. "I have a team going through our requisition requests and two more double-checking our stocks and inventory logs for any inconsistencies or missing supplies. If that doesn't produce any results I shall enforce the Clan Grievance laws and search through any private stores we can find."

"You'll ruffle more than a few feathers if it comes to that, Hokage-sama," Hiashi didn't hesitate to point out. "Especially amongst the Uchiha, I understand they use it for many of their clan's ceremonies and rituals."

"Then let them be ruffled," Sarutobi huffed irritably. "Things wouldn't have degenerated to this if I'd simply done the _right thing_ from the beginning. I'd been hesitant to take an overt stand for Naruto before for fear of drawing too much attention to him but the time for that is well past. Hesitance is the last thing anyone shall meet should they test me."

Hiashi stared at the Hokage with a sharp look in his eyes for several moments before nodding slowly. To Sarutobi's surprise Hiashi's practiced stoicism cracked for the second time that night as he broke into a smile.

"While I'm sure many of my fellows would find your methods of dealing with anyone foolish enough to test you rather amusing," he said with an exasperated shake of his head. "I honestly hope that Ibiki can get the information he needs from those murderous bastards so that it never comes to that."

They sat in silence after Hiashi finished speaking for but a moment before it was broken by the buzzer on Sarutobi's desk.

"Yes, Joruri?" He asked as he pressed the intercom. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure, Hokage-sama," Sarutobi's secretary hesitantly replied. "But Ibiki-san is here to see you sir, he says it's important."

"I see. Very well, send him in."

The moment the up and coming T&I Department Head, the youngest of three possible candidates, walked through the door with a grim expression on his face Sarutobi knew something was wrong. Of course Ibiki usually looked grim, it was a persona he perfected to intimidate his prisoners before he'd even begun interrogating them, but everything about him right then screamed of barely controlled anger and, if Sarutobi's eyes weren't deceiving him, a bit of fear.

"Report, Morino-san," Sarutobi snapped as the man hesitated, eying Hiashi warily.

"Hokage-sama," Ibiki said, snapping to attention. "The six detainee's you sent to us earlier...they're dead sir."

Hiashi's brow furrowed, the only sign of his distress he allowed to show, as Gilgamesh hissed out an annoyed sigh. For his part, Sarutobi simply slumped back into his chair and allowed the Hokage hat to fall forward and hide his face.

"It is as I feared then," he murmured quietly. "How were they killed?"

"Poison, Hokage-sama," Ibiki replied. "It was a fast acting neurotoxin of some kind our people have never seen before. They were all dead within a minute without anyone realizing until it was far too late."

"I take it the one responsible for delivering these meals has mysteriously vanished?" Sarutobi asked shrewdly.

"Yes, and the night cook with him," Ibiki replied. "I dispatched people to their last known residen-"

"They won't find anything," Sarutobi interrupted the young interrogator. "Whoever these infiltrators worked for wouldn't leave anything that might point us in the right direction."

He paused for a moment before giving Ibiki further orders. "_If_, however, they do manage to find something I want it sealed in the Vault along with any viable samples of the toxin and the bodies as well for examination at a later date. Is that clear?"

"Of course, Hokage-sama," Ibiki said and with a salute he disappeared via shunshin.

"So what now?" Gilgamesh asked after letting the heavy atmosphere linger for a few moments.

"We proceed as planned," Sarutobi replied simply. "Only now we keep a sharper eye on Naruto and key elements in the village that might not be so discouraged by his new station."

As the two men nodded in agreement, Sarutobi's thoughts turned inward. _"Danzō...I pray, for your sake, that you learn your lesson from this night quickly. Otherwise what happened to Naruto will seem kind in comparison, I swear it."_

* * *

><p><em>Shadows moving in the barely lit room. Voices, slurred and indistinct, muttering to one another, an unpleasant smell wafting off them. Something wet, thicker than water and with an acrid scent, <em>_splashing on him and soaking his covers. This wasn't right, something was wrong here but before he could move, ask what was going on there was a scratching sound and the smell of sulfur added to the unpleasant odors already present. A face, twisted and leering, appeared lit from beneath by a match._

"It may be a little early to celebrate your birthday, _boy_," _the man snarled, barely coherent._ "But it's certainly not to late to enjoy your _death_."

_The match arced through the air and landed on his oil soaked sheets before Naruto could even so much as twitch and his world dissolved into fire and pain and screaming and cruel, drunken laughter as he struggled to untangle himself from his burning blankets, succeeding only in wrapping them tighter around himself._

_The heat and the pain grew unbearable and the world around him quickly started growing dark and silent, despite the light of the fire and raucous laughter of his attackers. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was the sharp crack of breaking wood and surprised shouting._

Naruto stumbled back into the wall opposite from the door he'd tried opening in the hopes of finding some way out of the dark tunnel he'd woken in, futilely trying to muffle his sobs as he sunk to the floor in a quivering heap. As he stared at the door across from him, massive chains began to snake across it's surface that sank deeply into the walls all around it, sealing it and the memory associated with it away tightly beneath nearly two feet of matte black steel.

As this happened the pain Naruto was feeling began to fade away until it was little more than a vague ache in the back of his mind. Similarly the memory itself faded away until it was little more than darkness allowing little more than the barest hint of what had happened.

Slowly, laboriously, Naruto pushed himself back to his feet eying the now barred door before him and the dozens of others lined up on either side of it with no small amount of fear. Just as slowly he began inching along the wall, desperate to get away from these doors and the dark things behind them. When his questing hands met empty air he turned quickly and found an open hallway that hadn't been there moments before but he didn't question it, simply turned and dashed into the welcoming darkness.

"_I've got to get away from them,"_ he thought feverishly as he continued down the path. _"I have to get some where safe."_

Although Naruto didn't realize it, his thoughts were subtly changing the layout of his mindscape to accommodate his desires and, despite what some might think, his desire to be somewhere safe was naturally leading him in the direction of the four former heroes and their opponent. This fact wasn't entirely lost on the five year old, the resounding roars and echoing explosions were a dead giveaway but even then he was of the mind that he'd rather face the unknown than whatever was behind those doors again. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks though when he finally reached the chamber with the massive gate that was meant to separate him from the Kyūbi, his jaw dropping in awe at the sight before him.

In the distance, yet still clearly visible due to it's immense size, the Kyūbi stood in all it's terrible glory, surrounded by a halo of malevolent energy and it's tails darting about wildly as though striking at invisible opponents. Gouts of fire, ice, lightning and water arced through the air around it, some striking the beast while others lashed out haphazardly into the darkness in a futile attempt to hit whatever it was fighting.

Quite suddenly the bijū skidded sideways, nearly collapsing to the ground, struck by some great force. It countered however, one tail raising high up in the air before whipping through the air so fast it produced a cracking sound that was audible even as far away as Naruto was, and apparently this time it struck true.

A massive plume of dust kicked up a short distance, relatively speaking, away from the battle that quickly extended into a trail that Naruto noted was heading right towards him. A resounding clang echoed throughout the chamber as whatever was causing the trail collided with the bars of the gate before the thing flailed it's way into the chamber with Naruto, slamming into the wall before slumping bonelessly to the ground.

Cautiously, Naruto approached the crumpled figure and was shocked to find it was a man, the most strangely dressed man Naruto had ever seen but a man none-the-less. Naruto was rather shocked when the man began moving, pulling himself unsteadily up the wall until he was standing.

Surprised blue eyes met shocked and scared blue. "Naruto? What are you doing here?" The tattooed man asked suddenly, startling the already shell-shocked boy.

"How do you know who I am?" Naruto asked in confusion. "Who are you? Where _am_ I? _What's going on?_"

By the time Naruto had finished his voice had reached a hysterical pitch and he was close to hyperventilating. The man looked at him with concern before carefully hugging the boy to him, which led to Naruto breaking down into tears again.

"My name is Zell," the man said as he tried his best to soothe Naruto. "As for how I know who you are? Well let's just say it's my job and leave it at that for now."

Zell glanced back up at the battle still going on between his companions and the Kyūbi and grimaced. He didn't have the time to try and explain everything to Naruto right yet, not while the others still needed his help so with a sigh he pried the sniffling child away from him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Listen, Naruto," he said carefully. "I can't answer the rest of your questions right now, I have to help my friends defeat the monster out there so that it can't hurt you. Do you understand?"

Naruto stared back at him with wide eyes. "Is it going to try and eat me?"

Zell had to fight to keep the smile from his face. "No, Naruto, it won't and it can't as long as you stay right here. Don't move unless you have to and whatever you do don't go beyond those bars over there okay? Can you do that for me, Naruto?"

When Naruto nodded hesitantly Zell beamed at him. "Good! Don't worry, Naruto, once my friends and I are done with it that monster won't be able to hurt you ever again!"

Zell waited until Naruto nodded again before he finally let the boy go. The smile shifted into a grim look as he surveyed the raging battle in the distance. They were making some progress against the Kyūbi certainly but nowhere near what they'd all believed at first. The problem was that they had expected the energy it released, that was subsequently purified by the seal, not to be usable afterward.

That however was not the case. The energy was being purified as planned but it was cycling back to the Kyūbi at an astonishing pace leaving it at pretty much full power throughout the entire fight thus far. Another wrinkle in the original plan was that as the corruption it suffered from dwindled it's intelligence began to pierce the rage clouding it's mind and the Kyuubi began fighting less like a mindless beast and more and more like a master strategist shaping the battlefield, sometimes literally, and maneuvering the four heroes into tight corners.

Several flashes of blue light caught Zell's attention and he grimaced. That would mark the third time Cloud had used the attack that spit his sword into it's component parts, Omnislash he'd called it when they began laying out their rather considerable list of techniques on the trek here, since the battle began. While it did some serious damage it didn't do much to stagger the Kyūbi and left Cloud vulnerable in the few seconds it took for him to reform his sword and this time Zell wasn't there to cover him.

"Guess it's time to bust out the _really_ big guns," he muttered.

Zell held his right hand out before him, palm open, and began focusing all of his considerable power to that one point. Slowly, but with increasing speed, a small ball of pure white energy grew and pulsed there, illuminating a rather sizable area. Once the ball was of sufficient size Zell clenched his hand into a fist crushing the ball of energy and causing it's power to permeate his entire body, manifesting in a visible aura of white energy much like when he used his magic enhancements. Wasn't that much different actually since he'd based the alternative enhancements off his own ultimate technique in the first place.

He inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly, then he simply disappeared. A vibrant trail of light was the only thing to mark his passing as he shot under the Kyūbi, the great beast actually pausing in its assault to look curiously at the light snaking between it's enormous paws, leaving itself wide open for Zell's attack.

Much to his surprise the oppressive darkness _did_ actually end. Thanks to Zell's enhanced sight and reflexes he managed to avoid splattering himself all over the wall at the far end of the massive chamber, instead using his speed to carry him straight up and, in the blink of an eye, was running along the chamber's expansive ceiling far above the battle below. By the time the Kyūbi paused to look down he was already directly above it and, with a final shout of exertion pushed away from the ceiling with all the power at his disposal, his light encased fist leading.

He struck true and he struck hard and this time, unlike his last aerial assault, he punched straight _through_ the Kyūbi, bursting out of it's chest and hitting the ground with enough force to create a crater nearly sixty feet across and almost the same deep. The Kyūbi stumbled some from the pain of having gaping holes appear in it's back and chest and then nearly collapsed when it's paws slipped at the edges of the crater but Zell was far from finished with his attack.

He pushed off again, this time angled so that his fist struck the Kyūbi in the jaw. The force was significantly diminished but still more than enough to snap it's head back and lift it's front paws off the ground, flailing in the air as it tried to avoid toppling completely backwards. The effort proved futile though as Zell burned the last of his energy and momentum off, flipping over and kicking off the ceiling a second time and struck just below the wound caused by his first strike, pushing the great beast completely off balance. It crashed painfully, if it's strained roar was any indication, onto it's back crushing several tails under it's bulk.

Zell's companions were not idle during his assault. As soon as he leapt clear massive shards of ice rained down from above as Edge arced over the Kyūbi's fallen form. It's tails, the few not caught under it's body, whipped sluggishly through the air deflecting a few of the larger pieces but a significant portion slipped through, pummeling and piercing it's already battered hide. A bolt of lightning flashed down and split one of the large shards that had managed to cut through the Kyūbi's armor-like skin, closely followed by Cloud who fell between the two halves with his sword leading, driving the massive blade deeper into the now gaping wound.

He too leapt away but left his weapon behind and although that might seem like a grave error his reasoning became clear a moment later when Zidane followed him down, his weight increased to the maximum his body could withstand under the effects of his Meta-Magic, striking the pommel of the Fusion Sword with the force of a falling comet, driving it even deeper.

Setting his feet inside the, thankfully, bloodless wound Zidane gripped the hilt of Cloud's massive weapon and heaved, pulling it free and sending it soaring back up into Cloud's grasp. He looked around as the wound began sealing up beneath his feet and pulled out a bandolier with several crystalline flasks attached to it. They were filled with a viscous green substance that did not look healthy in the least, and with good reason.

It was a cocktail of Grand Dragon venom, the poison commonly laced in Rune Tooth blades and the peculiar gunk that gave Malboro's their _unique_ odor that Zidane had gone to extreme lengths to mix, with spectacular, and deadly, results. The final result could etch steel and eat through flesh like a powerful acid and, once it finally ran it's course, caused what flesh it _didn't_ dissolve to necrotize at a terrifying rate.

He spun the bandolier around his head a couple of times as he lightened his own body and transferred a portion of it into the bandolier itself as he jumped up and out of the deep wound, flinging the deadly flasks down in his wake for them to be swallowed up by the rapidly mending flesh. For the briefest of moments Zidane thought that his attempt had failed, that the Kyūbi's healing had neutralized his special brews but the sudden spasm that shook the chamber and the high, keening wail of pain, a thing that sounded utterly alien coming from the gargantuan fox guardian, told of his success. Further proof came when the nearly mended wound bubbled and split wide open with an audible hiss, releasing a foul-smelling mist as it continued to bubble and melt away.

The Kyūbi curled in on itself in an effort to protect it's ravaged body from further attacks and it's tails fell around it like a shroud, adding a further layer of protection and hiding it from the eyes of the gathered heroes a short distance away.

"What the fuck was that?" Edge asked Zidane as he landed next to them, more than a little shaken by the Kyūbi's earlier wail.

"Just a little something I whipped up to deal with monsters with overly thick hides when I didn't have magic handy," Zidane replied with a shrug. "When I started adventuring on my own some I needed something in my arsenal that packed a punch besides my Dyne techniques."

"Well from the looks of things you certainly succeeded," Zell spoke up. "Do you think it's down for good this time?"

"I hate to be the one to say it, but it's doubtful," Cloud responded quietly. "Considering how much damage it's already shrugged off it'll probably be back on it's feet and ready to continue in a few minutes."

"So _why_ are we just standing here then?" Zell asked impatiently. "Shouldn't we, you know, be pressing the advantage and all that?"

"Because some of us need to pause and recharge," Edge told him as he fished around for an elixir in his pack. "We told you already, we don't use magic quite like you do and this is the best chance we've got to take stock."

He quaffed half the elixir in one go, not needing the entire thing since any wounds they'd sustained healed automatically, and passed it to Cloud who gratefully downed the rest. Likewise, Zidane had pulled another flask from somewhere and took a long pull as he surveyed the mostly destroyed area around them.

"I'd give it another minute before we're back at it," Zidane said as he stowed the flask away. "Any ideas on how we should proceed? It's getting more intelligent by the second and I'm starting to run out of tricks and attacks it hasn't already seen. I'd really hate to be on the receiving end of one of it's counter attacks."

"Not enough time," Cloud replied, shaking his head. "We'll just have to continue as we have and hope it goes down before we're pushed that far."

They fell silent after that, readying their weapons and spells for the continuing conflict and waited...and waited some more. The four former heroes shared quick, concerned glances as the time dragged on and the Kyūbi remained convalescent for far longer than any of them thought it should.

"Enough waiting," Edge snarled as he reached for his weapons. "The longer we wait the better chance it has to catch us-"

The rest of his sentiment would go unvoiced however as a massive tremor shook the ground beneath their feet causing them all to stumble. The Kyūbi's massive tails unfurled like the petals of a monstrous flower and arranged themselves in a semi-circle around it's head as it stood, it's power blasting forth like nothing they'd seen before. With another earthshaking roar, one with enough power behind it to form deep fissures in the ground under their feet, it opened it's jaws and the four warriors found themselves staring down a fully formed orb of dark energy, the Bijūdama that the three goddesses had warned them so strongly about.

Cloud and Zell moved with reflexes honed through years of conflict with powerful and destructive foes. Zidane too was quick on his feet, having explored the length and breadth of his own world long after the others had settled down into quieter lives but the sixth sense he'd developed during these adventures, the one that told him "something was about to go horribly wrong," caused him to pause in his flight and look over his shoulder. What he saw had him reversing his flight so suddenly a lesser man would have been tasting dirt for his efforts.

While the others had managed to keep their feet during it's showy display of power Edge had stumbled rather badly while drawing his blades, having been caught setting himself up for a charge, and to further compound his misfortune a small fissure had opened right beneath his feet just deep enough to swallow them up to the ankles. Just like Zidane, Edge relied prominently on speed and maneuverability and so it didn't take him long to recover from his little mishap and start the bare beginnings of a proper dodge but it was not enough.

The condensed ball of pure energy exploded outwards, expanding many times it's original size and moving with the startling speed the four warriors had begun to attribute to the Kyūbi, catching the Ninja Prince in the outer edges of the blast but engulfing him completely none-the-less. Zidane didn't slow down nor did he hesitate anymore than he had during those last moments in the Iifa Tree. He simply drew his Mage Masher and, blatantly ignoring the Goddesses warnings, dove right into the destructive beam blade first.

Immediately Zidane knew why they had warned him not to attempt absorbing an attack of this magnitude. The Mage Masher was heating up to a dangerous degree already, just like the one he'd wielded against Kuja's Ultima, and he knew it wouldn't last very much longer. He cursed the three Goddesses once again for not giving him a spare like he'd taken to carrying later in life and poured everything he had into getting to his compatriot, hoping and even praying that the man was still alive somewhere in this hellish torrent as the Masher began vibrating violently in his hand.

Zidane could just barely make out a patch of darkness in the bright torrent of energy that he was certain was Edge, still standing almost in spite of the destruction raging around him, but he knew that he couldn't get them clear in time. The Mage Masher was burning away in his hands, he could feel his _body_ burning with the overwhelming power being transferred.

_"Only one thing left to do!" _Zidane's face broke out in a wide grin and he laughed in an adrenaline fueled rush as the power thrummed under his skin, through his very blood.

Zidane discarded the useless hilt as the last of the Mage Masher's blade disintegrated finally and dug _deep_ within himself, just as he'd learned to do, and began harnessing that destructive force singing within him, just beneath the surface. A burst of power to rival the energy around them, and indeed was enough to disrupt the attack in a blast of light for a crucial moment, propelled Zidane forward to collide hard with the heavily wounded Edge and force the two out of the range of the blast when it continued unimpeded.

The two heroes landed heavily a fair distance away, with Zidane shooting further off into the darkness, and lay there unmoving. Cloud and Zell landed next to the severely burnt form of the King of Eblan and had to pause a moment to keep the contents of the stomachs where they belonged before they could move to help him.

Edge was in terrible shape. Somehow his armor had survived and absorbed the brunt of the attack, shielding his chest, arms and much of his legs from much of the damage but everything else wasn't nearly as lucky. His clothing had disintegrated completely and his skin had nearly _melted_ under the intensity of the attack, Zell and Cloud didn't dare touch him for fear that his skin might burst open under their fingers. Zell began working feverishly, drawing out and casting all of his most powerful healing spells in quick succession on the wounded man as Cloud turned back to keep an eye on the powerful creature not to far away that seemed...rather pleased with itself if the decidedly unpleasant grin on it's face was any indication.

"Fucking hell!" Zell hissed as he worked. "He's lucky he shielded his face from that, and that his armor could withstand that kind of power directed at him, that's some _fine_ work. Did you see what...happened ...to...Zi...dane...?"

Cloud looked worriedly over his shoulder when his companion trailed off into a stunned silence, thinking perhaps that Zell had caught sight of Zidane's similarly wounded form and felt his jaw drop in shock.

Zell had indeed spotted Zidane, he was quite suddenly very hard to miss. Like Edge his clothes were gone but in their place was light red fur that covered the vast majority of his body except for patches along his arms, legs and chest. His hair and tail had shifted to the same color and the latter twitched back and forth restlessly as the thief turned hero glided forward, his now blood red eyes fixed on the great fox before them.

It took a moment for the pair a moment to get over the shock of Zidane's sudden change of appearance to realize that he was actually _floating_, nearly three feet of the ground, towards them. His power manifested itself in a visible aura, flowing off him in small eddies and waves, as he drew level with them.

"Keep him safe and out of the way," Zidane told them as he drew level with them, and even his voice thrummed with barely restrained power.

"I believe it is high time I show this over-grown mongrel just why Garland once called me his Angel of Death."

* * *

><p>AN: And done! Or at least as done as I can be satisfied with, if that makes any sense at all. I honestly wanted to finish the battle in this chapter but the situation outside of Naruto kinda took up more time and thought than I originally planned though I am moderately happy, at least, about how the more political aspect is evolving. Some of you might not be real happy about the way that I'm starting to portray Jiraiya and all I can really say on the matter is...sorry I guess. It's going to get a little worse though. I honestly don't like the man, I'm convinced that he's a rather pathetic teacher despite the fact that people wave about his training of the Yondaime as proof of his epicness at times. I'm rather certain that it's Minato's natural skill and ingenuity more than Jiraiya's actual training methods that are responsible for his rise considering he had two-and-a-half to three years to train a boy who learned a technique that took HIM a YEAR to learn in the space of a month and brought him back with nothing more than he left with other than the ability to GO BAT-SHIT INSANE AND ATTACK ANYONE AND EVERYONE IN SIGHT! Yeah, real improvement there. Excellent display of his teaching ability. Anyways, ranting aside I'll admit upfront that Jiraiya isn't going to get a good rep in many of my stories but he'll still be a badass and crafty shinobi, I won't deny him that regardless of what I think about the rest of his faults.

Speaking of "badass and crafty" what do you all think of the expanded abilities of our heroes? For a short while I was simply going to copy and paste, for lack of a better description, the abilities the four heroes used from the games (and one movie) but then I stopped to think about it and realized something: if these are the spirits of dead heroes is it really so believable that they wouldn't IMPROVE at least somewhat between their 'adventure' (aka the games) and their deaths? The vast majority of the heroes in a Final Fantasy game generally range between 15 and 25 (Zidane was the youngest of this group at 16, Zell was 17, Cloud was 21 in FFVII and 23 in AC and Edge was 26 in FFIV and 43 in it's _The After Years _sequel) with a couple of extremes either way thrown in for good measure so that's several decades of life, baring any unexpected complications, for them to do some training or further adventuring. Granted Edge actually starred in a sequel and he didn't do much improving over the course of 15-20 years or whatever it was but Cloud made some obvious improvements between the events of FFVII and Advent Children (the Fusion Sword and improved Omnislash) and I couldn't see Zell of all people simply laying about idly, he has far too much energy for that. In Zidane's case I couldn't see him becoming more powerful per say, but trickier? Hell yes. Thus he began exploring his Genome heritage (Meta-Magic as I decided to call it) and dabbling in things like alchemy to supplement his thief abilities and skill with a blade, not to mention digging deeper into his Trance capabilities considering he was supposed to be Kuja's better replacement and when you take into account what Kuja could do with Trance...yeah.

Tied in with the above, in terms of power I view the four heroes like this: Zell is the most powerful of the group normally thanks to his enhanced "stat junction" ability, which is a method he developed to supp up all of his attributes with a single spell (Ultima in this case, the spell with the most powerful effect on every stat) and ranks easily as a high-level Kage, on par and perhaps slightly higher than the Raikage in terms of physical prowess with the versatility of his magic to push him above and beyond that bar. Cloud stands next in line, with his superior swordsmanship and skill with magic there are few who could stand up to him in the Narutoverse so he also ranks easily as a Kage level fighter. Edge comes next in the hierarchy but only just makes the cut of Kage level status. He lacks the versatility of the other two heroes and the destructive techniques (though that isn't entirely his fault since Limit Breaks and their like didn't really make an appearance until Final Fantasy VI) but his power isn't in question. He'd fall along the lines of the Sandaime Hokage (in his later years) in terms of power, he has decent techniques but nothing that makes him stand out much compared to his counterparts. Zidane is actually a tricky one to rate if you think about it. In normal circumstances he'd rank somewhere around jōnin level in power, being a thief combat isn't his primary aspect, but he makes up for it with his versatility and wiles in combination with his blade skills (being able to wield two daggers effectively and also being adept with double-bladed swords is a fair accomplishment) but when you factor in his ability to enter Trance he shoots up to the top of the power charts. Tentatively I'd place him amongst the ranks of the bijū when he draws on that power, somewhere around the Yonbi or Gobi. You might be thinking that's pushing it but I ask you to consider, once again, what Kuja could do when he attained Trance. He single-handedly _destroyed _Terra (or at least it's capital city) with that power at his disposal and Garland created Zidane to replace Kuja as his "Angel of Death" which I'm willing to assume means that Zidane is, at the very least, as powerful as Kuja could be and could very likely be more powerful than the 'faulty' Genome since he draws on more...wholesome emotions to power his Trance (Kuja having absorbed a startling amount of greed, hatred and jealousy from the souls of others to force the change)

Moving on from that, I'm sure some of you might have noticed the slight alteration I made in the story summary. That's right, Fate and Fantasy is officially no longer a harem story. I'd like to apologize to all those who sent me such great suggestions but I've been looking through my folder of ideas lately and I've become a little annoyed with how many harem stories make up the lot. "Variety is the spice of life" is my new motto for my writing style from now on so I decided that Naruto/Hinata/Haku is enough for this story, I'll let some of the others I'm working on (that is partially the reason this took so long to update, my...muse is it? Yes my muse simply would not focus on one idea for longer than a few days at times and thus I have half completed first chapters for seven other stories mocking me from my fan fiction folder) fulfill that little niche in my future archive. Again, apologies to those reviewers who sent me such great suggestions and reasons but I guess you'll just have to wait for my future works...if you're willing to wait that long of course.

Oh and I nearly forgot, Ryū Gekidō, or Gekidō Oil as it'll be referred to later, translates roughly into Dragon(s) Rage or Rage Oil. I'd like to thank** Namikaze09** for being kind enough to post that very helpful link to a English/Japanese dictionary site he has on his profile. Although some people might find it annoying there are going to be other instances where I'll be using it for techiques and other shinobi related things. I'm going to liken it to Tho Fan from Jade Empire, as the smith in the very first village explains it, the language might not be as widely spoken but some just like the way it rolls off the tongue better. I personally prefer the techniques not be in English, some of them sound positively ridiculous when they're translated.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the third chapter of Fate and Fantasy and please, leave a review. Tell me if you liked the battle or how I handled the situation the Hokage is facing, if you noticed a mistake somewhere that I need to edit or just have suggestions for any other powers or abilities the heroes might have picked up during their lives (I may have a high opinion of my imagination and creativity but I'll not turn away a good idea without good reason) so until next time, I'll catch you all on the flip side!


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